Moldova, Dnestr separatists sign peace deal

May 8, 1997
Web posted at: 4:56 p.m. EDT (2056 GMT)

MOSCOW (CNN) -- The leaders of Moldova and its breakaway Dnestr region signed a compromise peace document Thursday aimed at keeping the former Soviet republic as an independent nation.

Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi and Dnestr leader Igor Smirnov met in Moscow to sign a memorandum formalizing their landmark decision, reached at talks in April.

Russian-speakers in Moldova, who are a minority, feared that the majority would seek union with Romania. Much of Moldova was carved out of Romania by former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin during World War II.

Hundreds of people were killed in 1992 when Moldovan forces clashed with separatists demanding independence for Dnestr.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin said deal would allow the Kremlin to withdraw its 6,000 peace-keepers from the Dnestr region.

Reuters contributed to this report.

 

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