Yeltsin endorses Lebed Chechnya peace plan - agency .
MOSCOW 1996-08-30
Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin said on Friday that President Boris Yeltsin , who is vacationing outside Moscow , had backed security chief Alexander Lebed 's peace plan for Chechnya , Interfax news agency said .
" Lebed is now in Chechnya solving some problems , " Interfax quoted Chernomyrdin as saying . "
The main thing is his programme .
It was agreed with Boris Nikolayevich ( Yeltsin ) yesterday . "
Lebed , whom Yeltsin ordered to restore peace in Chechnya , struck a military deal with separatist rebels last week ending the worst fighting in the region in more than a year .
He later discussed with rebel chief-of-staff Aslan Maskhadov a framework political agreement to tackle the most painful issue of the 20-month war -- the future political status of Chechnya .
Lebed said on Friday he hoped to sign a document with the rebels later in the day which would deal with the political settlement of the conflict .
Moscow , which wants to keep Chechnya as a part of the Russian Federation , sent troops to the region in December 1994 to quell its independence bid .
Yeltsin has said any deal should preserve Russia 's territorial integrity .
Itar-Tass news agency quoted Lebed as saying that he would suggest to the rebels that the decision on Chechnya 's future political status be deferred by up to 10 years .
Lebed said he had a telephone conversation with Yeltsin late on Thursday but gave no details .
Yeltsin 's press office could not confirm the call .
Chernomyrdin said on Thursday after a meeting with Lebed and top officials , who discussed Lebed 's plans to restore peace in Chechnya , that it needed more work .