RUSSIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS QUERY KHASAVYURT ACCORDS.

Ninety-three members of the Russian parliament (three more than the required minimum) are calling on Russia’s Constitutional Court to declare whether or not the Khasavyurt accords are in line with the Russian Constitution. (Interfax, September 30) The accords, signed by Security Council Secretary Aleksandr Lebed and Chechen chief-of-staff Aslan Maskhadov on August 31, omit all mention of Chechnya’s status. But their references to international norms might be interpreted as implying that Chechnya is a sovereign state rather than, as the Russian Constitution rules, part of the Russian Federation.

Federal Troops May Leave Chechnya Early.