MASKHADOV SAYS PEACE TREATY WITH MOSCOW COULD BE SIGNED IN A FEW DAYS.

Chechen first deputy prime minister Movladi Udugov was in Moscow last week to try to clear up disagreements over a peace treaty between Chechnya and Russia, Chechen president Aslan Maskhadov told Chechen television on April 11. Maskhadov said the main remaining obstacle was Moscow’s refusal to admit that Russia had waged an all-out war in Chechnya. (Itar-Tass, April 11) Maskhadov said that, if Yeltsin accepted the draft prepared by the Chechen side, the treaty could be signed by the two presidents within a few days. The following day, Maskhadov and Udugov left Chechnya, reportedly to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. (Interfax, April 12) In all, some 16,000 Russian Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage this year.

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