Grozny - The leader of rebel Chechnya, Mr Aslan Mashkadov, made a plea for direct peace talks with President Yeltsin, ahead of the arrival yesterday of a European security mission to assess the humanitarian impact of Russia's military campaign.
Delegates from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe arrived in nearby Ingushetia province to see how the almost 200,000 refugees who have fled Chechnya are faring.
