Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 1, 1993 TAG: 9310010277
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MOSCOW LENGTH: Medium
Negotiators from both sides agreed to restore electricity, heat and some telephones to the encircled parliament building if the lawmakers ratify a plan to surrender their arms, the Interfax news agency reported.
It was not clear if the lawmakers would ratify the agreement in a vote expected to be held today. Some of the lawmakers have opposed any plan to give up their weapons.
The agreement, if put into effect, would greatly reduce the chances of violence erupting from the 10-day-old siege.
Still, the agreement would not completely end the siege of the building by thousands of riot police and troops. If parliament approves the deal, further negotiations were expected on a final resolution.
Earlier, Yeltsin and leaders of the hard-line lawmakers agreed to church-mediated talks on the crisis.
Yeltsin said the closed-door talks were to start today, mediated by Patriarch Alexy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Yeltsin's rebellious vice president, Alexander Rutskoi, a leader of the 100 or so lawmakers holed up in parliament, sent the patriarch a message saying he was "ready to meet Alexy II and any other representative of authorities," according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.
Talks between the two sides, however, began almost immediately after Yeltsin met with the patriarch.
The hard-line lawmakers and a few hundred volunteer defenders have been in the parliament building, known as the White House, since Yeltsin disbanded parliament on Sept. 21 and called new parliamentary elections.
Keywords:
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by CNB