MOSCOW. Mar 2: Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov called today for talks with acting Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Chechnya. in a telephone interview with Moscow Echo radio, reports AFP.

Maskhadov said Russian generals waging war in Chechnya were deceiving Putin, and that only through negotiations could the five-month conflict be resolved.

"I think that when the Russian generals stop deceiving acting president Putin, when we sit down at the negotiation table and come to the conclusion that this is a dirty war and we didn't need to do it. then all this will end." Maskhadov told the radio station.

The Kremlin would not give an immediate reaction to the proposal.

Maskhadov has proposed peace talks before, only to be rebuffed by Moscow. Russia says the Chechen president is no longer legitimate because of the war and has issued an order for his arrest.

The Kremlin has said it would enlist the help of Interpol in the quest to arrest Maskhadov, belying its fears that the Chechen leader could slip through Russian lines and escape abroad.

Maskhadov's whereabouts have long since remained unclear. but the Chechen leader told Moscow Echo that he "has not fled anywhere, and was "still at home."

A top Russian general said Thursday that the chances of Maskhadov escaping with his top field commanders such as Shamil Basayev and Khattab were slim.