BERLIN -- The Chechen guerrilla commander who says he was behind last month's mass hostage-taking in Moscow has warned of new attacks if Russian troops do not withdraw from Chechnya, a German newspaper reported on Saturday.

Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev has appealed to NATO leaders to put pressure on Russia to withdraw from his homeland and start political negotiations, Germany's **Welt am Sonntag** reported in a release issued ahead of publication on Sunday.

"We warn you, the Chechen mujahideen have the complete right and the opportunity to carry out terrorist attacks on the land of the aggressors, which correspond to those that are practiced by the Russian Army in Chechnya," the paper quoted Basayev as saying in a letter addressed to NATO leaders.

It was not clear how the newspaper obtained the letter nor was it apparent whether it was issued to coincide with this week's NATO summit in Prague, Reuters reported.

"We warn you, all military, economic and strategic properties on Russian territory are legitimate targets of war for us," Basayev said. "We warn you, for a generation of tens of thousands of orphans, whose fathers and mothers were murdered by the Russian regime, revenge will be their most important driving force in their relationship to Russia and its allies."

Basayev, who became Russia's most wanted man after a major hostage-taking raid in 1995, has said he alone planned and directed last month's hostage-taking in a Moscow theater, in which 128 hostages and 41 Chechen rebels died.

The Kremlin has dismissed his claim, saying it was an attempt to divert blame for the attack from fugitive rebel President Aslan Maskhadov.

Russian forces have been battling Chechen separatist rebels in the rebellious southern province on and off since 1994.

After the theater siege, Russia stepped up "anti-terrorist operations" in Chechnya where 80,000 troops are in action. The Kremlin remains firmly opposed to resuming of peace talks with Chechnya's elected but exiled leaders.