Chechen rebels defiant after chief killed

But some analysts say that Moscow has effectively removed a moderate who could have negotiated a peace with the Kremlin.

The veteran leader had often invited Moscow to hold talks with him saying a peaceful solution to a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people in the past 10 years could be worked out in a matter of minutes.

8226; Maskhadov8217;s London-based envoy Akhmed Zakayev said a successor to Maskhadov would be named within days, though he did not say who this might be. Commentators speculated that it could be either Basayev or Doku Umarov, the commander of the rebels8217; south western front.

8226; Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel said Maskhadov8217;s body will not be given to his relatives and they will not be informed about his burial.

8226; Chechen President Alu Alkhanov said Maskhadov8217;s death will not strongly affect the situation in the republic. 8220;Maskhadov was a puppet who was manipulated by Terrorist No. 1 Shamil Basayev, who used him as his banner in carrying out terrorist attacks,8221; he stressed.

8226; Poland on Wednesday condemned Maskhadov8217;s killing, calling it a 8216;8216;crime8217;8217; and said it was a mistake because he was the only rebel leader able to reach peace with Moscow. 8216;8216;Those who committed this murder wanted to prevent a peaceful agreement,8217;8217; Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksander Checko said. 8216;8216;It was not only a crime but also political stupidity and a big mistake.8217;8217;

Poland, the biggest European Union member among the former Soviet satellites in central Europe, has long been critical of Russia8217;s tough line in Chechnya and has sheltered some Chechen refugees from the conflict.

8226; Maskhadov8217;s son promised on Wednesday to carry on his father8217;s fight for the region8217;s independence from Russia. 8216;8216;I will continue my father8217;s work. I have been in touch with his associates who are living abroad,8217;8217; Anzor Maskhadov 29 said.

Anzor branded his father8217;s killing a 8216;8216;terrorist act8217;8217;. 8216;8216;They wanted to take Maskhadov alive. To avoid casualties, he let his bodyguards go and took them on single-handedly,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;He had no intention of giving himself up.8217;8217;

Shamil Basayev is now 8216;most wanted8217;

MOSCOW: Chechen guerrilla warlord Shamil Basayev believes Russian civilians8212;including children8212;are legitimate targets in his homeland8217;s bloody fight for independence from Moscow. Basayev, mastermind of last September8217;s Beslan school massacre, was seen on Wednesday as a strong contender to take over leadership of Chechnya8217;s separatists.

Basayev is seen as an uncompromising fighter driven more by a militant brand of Islam than by conventional political ambitions for self-determination. On Wednesday, Basayev paid tribute to Maskhadov8217;s 8216;8216;unprecedented bravery8217;8217; in a statement posted on separatist website http://www.kavkazcenter.com, He said, according to Chechen law, the interim replacement for Maskhadov should be the head of the Chechen Islamic court, Abdul Khalim. Basayev does not occupy an official position in the Chechen hierarchy. It was unclear Khalim8217;s name was agreed to by other rebel commanders. 8212;Reuters