The Russian Army, whose warplanes have been pounding the capital, Grozny, has been reported to be moving in on Gudermes. On Monday, NTV television said Russian tank reinforcements had pulled up to the outskirts of the rebel republic's second city and that the storming of Gudermes was imminent.

Another Russian general, Gennady Troshev, told ITAR-TASS news agency on Thursday that a ``mopping up'' operation was due to begin in the city as of Friday morning. A Chechen military commander had said more than 1,000 rebel fighters were holed up in Gudermes, situated some 30 km east ofGrozny, though Moscow gave their number as fewer than 100 men.

Moscow has come under mounting international criticism since launching its ground offensive in Chechnya on October 1. On Thursday, the Kremlin conceded for the first time its forces had committed ``tragic errors'' there but ruled out holding peace talks with the rebel republic.

``There have been some tragic errors during our operation in Chechnya. We regret these errors and we carry the moral responsibility,'' Kremlin deputy Chief of Staff Igor Shabdurasulov told reporters. But he continued to defend the military operation there and said no negotiations would be opened with Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov until he handed over rebel field commanders to Russia. ``Unfortunately, the activity of internationalterrorists and fighters have forced the government to resort to force,'' he said.

Later on Thursday, Maskhadov made a fresh appeal for talks to end the war in Chechnya in an open letter to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. ``I appeal to youonce more for dialogue, in the interest of our peoples,'' Maskhadov wrote. ``The war has been going on for two months, thousands of people on both sides are already dead and that is just a beginning that is why I propose to you that we stop before major battles and heavy losses,'' he added.

Maskhadov suggested in his open letter that the war was being continued for electoral reasons a reference to Russian presidential elections in June 2000. ``Your advisors believe that the war is a chance of assuring a political future for your successor,'' said Maskadov, referring to Russian premier Vladimir Putin, who has led the military campaign.

Chechnya was being sacrificed on the altar of Russian patriotism, he added. ``Sensing the current war was about to break out, I tried several times unsuccessfully to join you,'' Maskhadov continued. ``I am sure that if we had been able to speak together, there would not have been a war.'' He added that he thought Yeltsin was capable of ending 400 years of conflict betweenRussia and Chechnya.

The last meeting between the two leaders was in May 1997 at the signing of the peace accord that ended the last Russo-Chechen war, that lasted 21 months, from 1994-1996.

But Shabdurasulov had made it clear earlier on Thursday that Russia did not believe Maskhadov controlled the situation in Chechnya, so he could not be trusted during peace talks. The 1997 agreement that delayed a decision on Chechnya's independence until the end of 2000 was no longer applicable, he added. ``The Chechen republic is an inseparable part of Russia,'' he said.

``Its status will not come under discussion today, in 2001 or in 2005.''At next week's Organization for Security for Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit in Istanbul, Russia is likely to come under pressure over Chechen claims that more than 3,200 people have been killed in indiscriminate attacks.

Protect civilians: Annan
TOKYO: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday urged Russia to obey international humanitarian law and toprotect civilians in its Chechen campaign. ``I believe that any attempt to root out and deal with terrorists has to be in proportion,'' the United Nations chief told a news conference in Tokyo. ``In these efforts we need to respect international humanitarian law and ensure that civilians are not caught in a very difficult situation.''

He added that early in the crisis he had sent a representative to Moscow to talk to the Russian officials. The UN Secretary-General said he was involved in private dialogue with the Russian leadership. He expected to receive a report on the Chechen crisis soon from a UN team that travelled to the republic.