Putin also won a softer line on Chechnya from the leaders of Germany and Italy, as he began to see the diplomatic fruit of his offer to cooperate with the U.S.-led effort to combat terrorism.

"The Chechen leadership, like all responsible political leaders around the world, must immediately and unconditionally cut all contact with international terrorist groups such as Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida organization," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Putin on Monday gave the rebels 72 hours to sever ties with international terrorist organizations and contact federal officials to discuss procedures for disarmament. The announcement came at the end of a televised address in which he outlined what Russia was willing to do to support the operation against bin Laden.

"The United States has always said that only a political process can resolve the conflict in Chechnya, and we welcome the steps by the Russians to engage the Chechen leadership," Fleischer said.

"Respect for human rights and accountability for violations on all sides are crucial to a durable peace," he said.

The United States and Europe have criticized Moscow for using excessive force in Chechnya. That stance appears to be changing.

"Europe must open itself up to Russia," Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said at a news conference after meeting with Putin in Berlin on Wednesday. "Europe must reconstitute itself on the basis of its Christian roots. Europe must be convinced ... that Russia is a peaceful country, a peaceful European country."

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder said Chechnya was in a region with "an elevated threat, which we have now experienced. The different aspects of Russian policy should be judged accordingly."

Fleischer denied the United States had violated any principles in wooing states including Russia to join an anti-terror coalition. "American policy will still be based on what's right for America, in accordance with enduring principles of human rights [and] cooperation with nations around the world in accordance with those principles," he said.

A senior State Department official said Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov's acceptance of Putin's offer was "the first positive development in this conflict in months."

"We believe that President Putin made a sincere proposal to the Chechen side and hope that Mr. Maskhadov's quick response indicates his sincere commitment to work toward a lasting peace in the Caucasus as well," the official said Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

Russia specialist Michael McFaul said he had detected a marked shift in the U.S. tone since Sept. 11, which he said showed "a new appreciation for what Russia faces."

McFaul said he believed Putin deserved a counter-offer after his televised speech in which he said Moscow would step up arms supplies to opponents of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban.

Though Putin kept his options open and ruled out direct Russian military involvement, he indicated Moscow would not stop Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other Russian allies in Central Asia from opening their air bases.

McFaul said he had spoken to Boris Nemtsov, leader of the Union of Right Forces faction in the State Duma, whose call for peace talks Sept. 7 was squashed by Putin with the words that "odious bandits, up to their elbows in the Russian people's blood" should surrender first. McFaul said Nemtsov had been "quite nervous" about the speech in which he said Putin risked the wrath of military hawks by giving the Central Asian states a green light.

"Nemtsov said that the United States has to understand what a fundamental break with previous foreign policy Putin's statement was," said McFaul.

He said Washington should offer tangible rewards, for example by relaxing trade restrictions or encouraging Russian membership in the World Trade Organization.

He said the last time a U.S. administration official had referred openly to links between bin Laden and Chechnya was in November 1999, when Ambassador Steven Sestanovich, the top State Department official on former Soviet states under President Bill Clinton, addressed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

McFaul said the United States had something to learn from the Russian campaign in Chechnya, which has dragged on with interruptions since 1994 and killed thousands of civilians -- "how not to fight a war against terrorism."

Let's work together to combat terrorism, US congressman says in Russia

Moscow, 28 September: A Russian-US inter-parliamentary commission intends to jointly draw up a number of bills on combating international terrorism, the co-chairman of the inter-parliamentary commission, US Congressman Curt Weldon, said at a Friday [28 September] press conference in Moscow.

Weldon said a special task force should be set up within the framework of the commission to draw up anti-terrorist bills.

The two countries should work together in the face of the terrorist threat, Weldon said, noting that such cooperation between Russia and the USA will be developing for the first time in history and that it is necessary to show the whole world that they are fighting terrorism together.

The congressman appreciated Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to make Russian air space available to US planes carrying humanitarian cargoes and said cooperation in this sphere could mark the beginning of new relations between the two countries.

Participants in the press conference said they have information on links between suspected international terrorist Usamah Bin-Ladin and Chechen guerrillas. Weldon even said he believes Bin-Ladin is related to the acts of terrorism in Moscow. In this connection, US the Congress members said the American people lack information on Chechnya and committed themselves to inform the Americans so that they could correctly interpret developments in the North Caucasus.

In general, all those taking part in the press conference shared the opinion that joint work of Russian and US lawmakers will help improve legislation against international terrorism not only in the two countries but also throughout the world.

EU's position on Chechnya unchanged

MOSCOW. Sept 27 (Interfax) - The European Union's view that the Chechen issue needs a political solution will not change, Belgian ambassador to Russia Andre Mernier told a news conference in Moscow on Thursday.

That issue can be raised at the Russia-EU summit to be held in Brussels on October 3 when fighting terrorism will be discussed, he said in response to an Interfax question. The EU recognizes the need to assure Russia's security, but Russian servicemen in Chechnya must not violate human rights, especially so because Russia has made international commitments not to do so, Mernier said.

The European Union does not vindicate terrorism in Chechnya or elsewhere, he said. Russia and the European Union do not differ over approaches to fighting terrorism, Mernier said. An alliance must be built up to fight this evil, he said. This view will be reflected in the final declaration of the summit, he said.