Clinton Calls on Yeltsin to Make Chechnya Truce Permanent : Russia: Despite optimistic statements in run-up to Moscow summit, disputes remain.

President Clinton called on Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin on Thursday to convert a temporary cease-fire in Chechnya into a permanent truce--to clear the way for a negotiated settlement to the bloody conflict that has divided the Russian public and has cast a pall over post-Cold War relations between the world’s major nuclear powers.

Clinton made the appeal in a 30-minute telephone call to Yeltsin that previewed their talks in Moscow in less than two weeks. Before placing the call to the Kremlin, Clinton met visiting Russian Foreign Minister Andrei V. Kozyrev.

Although both sides sought to portray preparations for the Moscow meeting in optimistic terms, it was clear that they were unable to settle any of the festering disputes that have sunk the Washington-Moscow relationship to its lowest point since the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Coit Blacker, the National Security Council’s top expert on Russia, told reporters that Clinton welcomed Yeltsin’s order to suspend Russian military activity in the breakaway province until after celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

But, Blacker said, the President said that step did not go far enough.

“The President made clear, I think, that we continue to be very concerned about Chechnya,” he said. “We continue to feel strongly about the importance of a permanent cease-fire and . . . the beginning of a genuine process of political reconciliation.”

Chechnya has been such an irritant to U.S.-Russian relations that Clinton considered skipping the May 9-11 celebration and the talks with Yeltsin.

But there are other points of friction as well, especially U.S. opposition to a planned Russian sale of nuclear technology to Iran and Russia’s objections to enlarging the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to include some members of the defunct Warsaw Pact.

None of the disputes were settled in the Clinton-Yeltsin telephone call or in the President’s meeting with Kozyrev.

But Blacker and Kozyrev suggested that at least some of the issues may be resolved when the two leaders meet.

“Would I expect something to come out of the summit that would be contributory to this?” Blacker asked. “Yes.”

On Wednesday, Kozyrev said his government appreciates Clinton’s decision to attend the victory ceremonies, creating an atmosphere that might lead to agreement.

Topping Washington’s priority list for the Clinton-Yeltsin talks is the pending Russian-Iranian nuclear deal.

The U.S. government claims that Iran plans to use the imported technology to develop its own nuclear weapons. Russia insists that the sale of two reactors will be covered by International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and is legal under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Some U.S. officials have expressed optimism the deal may yet fall through because Tehran seems to be having trouble raising the sale price of $1 billion in hard currency.