Senior Chechen envoy Akhmed Zakayev has renewed an offer to negotiate with Moscow to end the war in the breakaway Russian republic.

Speaking in Denmark a day after his release by the authorities there, Mr Zakayev said Chechen leaders were ready to hold talks with Russia "without conditions".

He was released on Tuesday after the Danish Government rejected a request from Moscow to extradite him on terrorism charges.

About 800 people were taken hostage in October

Mr Zakayev, an envoy for rebel Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov, was arrested at Russia's behest on 30 October, after addressing a Chechen conference in Copenhagen.

"The Chechen leadership is ready once more to begin negotiations without conditions with Russia, to end the war in Chechnya as quickly as possible," he said on Wednesday.

Mr Zakayev was freed after the Danish Justice Ministry said it had not received enough evidence from Moscow to justify his extradition.

Moscow says Mr Zakayev is linked to attacks on Russian civilians, including a recent hostage-taking raid in a Moscow theatre.

Russian officials denounced Denmark's decision as politically motivated.

Tough talk

The Russians say the attack on the Moscow theatre was orchestrated by Mr Maskhadov himself.

Mr Maskhadov - who was elected president of Chechnya in 1997 - has denied any involvement and denounced the attack.

During the Copenhagen conference in October, Mr Maskhadov - through Mr Zakayev - said he was ready for unconditional negotiations with Russia.

Last year, Mr Zakayev held talks with Moscow officials - but the negotiations were broken off.

Few in Russia are willing to make concessions to Chechen separatists.

Russia President Vladimir Putin was elected on a promise to "get tough" with the Chechens and correspondents say he is unlikely to change course now.