Hello and thank you for downloading witness on the BBC World Service with me Dina Newman.

Today I'm taking you back to 1996 when separatists from the Muslim region of Chechnya

had been fighting a bloody war against Moscow's rule for 18 months.

Chechnya was full of Russian troops, bombing residential areas and detaining and killing civilians.

Groups of Chechen militants were taking hostages both inside and outside the region.

The war had become extremely unpopular with the Russian electorate and

President Boris Yeltsin was facing an election.

Grad missiles slamming into a Chechen rebel stronghold, A serious obstacle to Mr Yeltsin's

chances of re-election is the highly unpopular Russian military campaign against Chechen

separatists. But in the last few days have come indications that Mr Yeltsin is preparing

a 180 degree change in policy and might order a complete withdrawal of federal troops from Chechnya. That if it comes would greatly improve

his prospects of another presidential term. And on May the 27th, President Boris Yeltsin went on TV triumphant, announcing a surprise peace deal with Chechen

negotiators.

The agreement being signed calls for an end to military activity from midnight on the 1st of June 1996.

Within a period of two weeks...

After less than two hours of negotiations, President Yeltsin assured the Russians that the

ceasefire would start in just three days. He was clearly in a hurry. The Chechen

rebels were equally keen to sign a peace deal.

Ahmed Zakai was a Chechen rebel leader and took part in the negotiations.

Of course for us this event was hugely important. For the first time in the

hundreds of years of confrontations between Russia and Chechnya the Chechen

rebels were negotiating in the Kremlin.

...