TRUCES have come and gone in the 20 months of the Chechen conflict. It was too soon yesterday to say whether the deal announced by Mr Alexander Lebed would bring respite for civilians who have been fleeing Grozny in their tens of thousands since the latest Russian raid began.
It was also unclear how much power Mr Lebed actually wields. Though President Boris Yeltsin appointed him his special envoy to Chechnya, Security Council secretary and security adviser, he criticised him in a television interview.
"I am not completely satisfied with Lebed's performance in Chechnya," Mr Yeltsin told RIA news agency in an interview shown in a television feed.
Mr Lebed predicted further criticism from his many opponents in Moscow - democrats and hardliners alike. But he seemed not to care, saying: "Anyone who is unhappy is welcome to complain.
The exact text of the deal was not available.
"Joint military administrations will be set up in Grozny to protect the city from looters and bandits," Mr Lebed said. "I will come back with a draft political agreement in two days. We will discuss it and sign it," he added.
That deal would also address the root of the fighting Chechnya's status.
Mr Lebed said forces would start withdrawing from southern Chechnya tomorrow, and joint military administrations would be set up at the same time.
Before signing the deal, Mr Lebed overruled plans by the Russian command in Chechnya to launch an all out attack on Grozny if the rebels did not withdraw from the city.
News of the truce apparently failed to reach Grozny fast enough. Interfax news agency said that at least 50 Russian servicemen had been killed in a battle at the city's Minutka square yesterday and continued after the truce was signed. The report could not be independently confirmed.
Interfax quoted Russia's military command in Chechnya as saying that about 200 interior ministry troops sent on a reconnaisance mission had been outnumbered by attacking rebels.
Interfax made clear that the interior ministry detachment had been sent on the mission before the truce deal had been signed at the local equivalent of 1500 GMT. But fierce fighting still raged at 1600 GMT, Interfax said.
In Washington a White House spokesman welcomed the Chechnya accord as a "very positive step forward".
Mr Glyn Davies told reporters after speaking to US diplomats in Moscow who had been briefed on the deal that, "We look forward to its implementation and hope that it leads eventually to a political settlement."
President Clinton had written to President Yeltsin late on Tuesday urging him to avoid further bloodshed.
The State Department said yesterday it did not know whether Mr Yeltsin had given his full endorsement to Mr Lebed's peace aims. Mr Yeltsin appointed Mr Lebed his security chief after the former paratrooper captured around 15 per cent of the votes in the first round of Russia's presidential election this year.
More than 30,000 people have been killed in the breakaway North Caucasus region since Mr Yeltsin sent in his forces in December 1994 to end an independence drive.
In a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin last night, the European Union reiterated its "firm belief" that "negotiations are the only means of reaching a lasting political settlement . . . based on the respect of all concerned for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Irish presidency expressed the union's deep concern at "the desperate plight of the civilian population" and strongly urged both sides "to desist from any further military action."