Edited for brevity.
Activists of the Russian Union of Soldiers' Mothers Committees have said they plan to meet Chechen separatist envoy Akhmed Zakayev to discuss stopping the bloodshed in Chechnya. Zakayev currently lives in Britain where he has been granted political asylum. Valentina Melnikova, the organization's executive secretary, said the meeting was authorized by Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov and would take place on Nov. 23 or 24 in Brussels, Interfax news agency reported Tuesday. "The main goal of the talks is to find a way out of the Chechen impasse and to stop the bloodshed in Chechnya," Valentina Melnikova said. The pro-Moscow Chechen leadership has criticized the initiative. "Not a single sober-minded person will sit at a negotiating table with terrorists known throughout the world," First Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov told Interfax. 
|
