Moscow, March 5 (RFE/RL) - Russian President Boris Yeltsin is to hold a meeting of his Security Council on Thursday to discuss peace proposals aimed at ending the conflict in Chechnya.
The Security Council, an influential advisory body, has been involved in all Yeltsin's key policy decisions on the conflict.
Officials in Yeltsin's administration told RFE/RL today that the Council will discuss two proposals by two different commissions set up by Yeltsin.
The first proposal will come from a commission headed by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. His panel includes many hardliners from the military and security services and is expected to favour a tough military solution to the conflict.
The other commission is led by Emil Pain and consists of independent politicians and intellectuals who support non-military approaches to Chechnya.
Details of the proposals have not yet emerged but Yeltsin is believed to favour a middle ground solution combining elements from both proposals.
Efforts to end the war in the separatist republic have been increased in the run-up to June's presidential elections, where Yeltsin is expected to face stiff competition from the Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov.