MOSCOW SPLIT ON CHECHEN STRATEGY.

Disagreements betweenPresident Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdinon how to proceed in Chechnya came into the open July 27. Yeltsin’srepresentative to the Grozny talks told Russian radio that thenegotiations might not resume July 29, and that Chechen intransigenceleft little room for further discussion. Mark Urnov, an aid tothe president, told RIA that a political settlement with Groznycould take place only after elections in Chechnya. He characterizedthe situation in the talks as "difficult but not hopeless." But Chernomyrdin said the talks would resume as planned and hisnationalities minister and leader of the Russian delegation atthe talks, Vyacheslav Mikhailov, told Kommersant-Daily thatMoscow was prepared to make additional concessions and that heexpected an agreement on at least military questions on that date.Because this split in Moscow is now so obvious, the Chechens arelikely to seek to exploit it at the talks in order to push forthe complete independence they seek. Chechen chief of staff AslanMakhadov told a demonstration in Chechnya that "our causeis right" and that "we’ll gain what we want" atthe upcoming talks. Meanwhile, sporadic violence continued withsome loss of lives on both sides; and again on July 27 there wasno word on the fate of Fred Cuny, the American aid specialistwho has been missing in the region since April 9.

MOSCOW LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO OPPOSE NATO FORCES IN BOSNIA.