Putin summons defence chiefs

MOSCOW, JULY 16. The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, summoned his Defence Minister and the chief of staff today to put an end to their public row over the future of Russia's nuclear deterrent, Interfax news agency said.

The agency said the Defence Minister, Mr. Igor Sergeyev, and the armed forces chief of staff, Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, had both left for the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where Mr. Putin was taking a break ahead of next week's visits to China, North Korea and a G8 summit in Japan.

A Kremlin spokesman said he could not immediately confirm the report and the Defence Ministry was not available for comment.

Mr. Putin had to step into the row splitting Russia's top military command after the long-simmering conflict spilled into the open earlier this week at a meeting of senior generals where Gen. Kvashnin proposed drastically reducing the nuclear forces' role.

Mr. Sergeyev, himself a former strategic rocket forces commander and a staunch proponent of their independent position within the armed forces, countered the idea with a plan to beef up the deterrent. The meeting ended without any decision being taken.

General staff officers moved to stem rumours about a rift within the military, but the usually reserved Sergeyev went public, calling Gen. Kvashnin's suggestions a ``psychotic attack'' and his ideas ``plain madness''.

Mr. Putin quickly called on Sergeyev and Gen. Kvashnin to work together. He met the two before leaving Moscow and the Kremlin said they were told to prepare their arguments for a meeting of the advisory Security Council, due to discuss military reform.

Mr. Sergeyev and Gen. Kvashnin have long been at loggerheads over the future of Russia's armed forces, with the the war in Chechnya and U.S.-Russian nuclear cuts treaties giving Gen. Kvashnin grounds for demanding more money for ground forces.

- Reuters

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