Sergei Shoigu, Willing to meet the President of Chechnya
A Russian minister has said that he is willing to meet the President of Chechnya, Aslan Maskhadov, to discuss the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians from the Chechen capital, Grozny. The Emergencies Minister, Sergei Shoigu, said that he was willing to meet anyone if it would help to solve the problem. The Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, and other officials have previously turned down Mr Maskhadov's proposals for talks to find a peaceful solution in Chechnya.
Russia and China have signed a joint communique in Beijing, rejecting what they call interference by the West in the internal affairs of other countries. The statement was released towards the end of an informal summit between President Yeltsin and his Chinese counterpart, Jiang Zemin. It also emphasised China's view that the issue of Chechnya was purely an internal affair for Russia.
The medical aid charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres, has called on the Russians to stop their bombardment of the population of Grozny. Medecins Sans Frontieres made the appeal as it was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo this afternoon.
