October 19, 1996

Russsian leaders of all persuasions join in rare unity to support Pres Boris N Yeltsin's decision to dismiss Aleksandr I Lebed, whom they all view warily as rival for power; but rebels in Chechnya, mutinous republic where Lebed managed to orchestrate shaky peace, announce plans to hold elections on Jan 27 without consulting Russian leaders, and Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen chief of staff, hints that peace cannot last without Lebed; Pres Yeltsin also dismisses armed forces chief of staff, Gen Mikhail Kolesnikov, in what many seen as attempt to purge Defense Ministry of any senior personnel loyal to Lebed; photos (M)

Deaf to Alarms, special report on ignored warnings of chemical warfare during Persian Gulf War; soldiers from Czech army, whose training in chemical detection is considerd among best in world, say Czech detection teams patrolling northern Saudi Arabian desert in January 1991 were convinced that nerve gas detected in early days of war had been released from Iraqi chemical plants bombed by United States; Czech soldiers recall that Americans failed to don protective clothing, even as Czechs hurriedly pulled on their gas masks and rubberized chemical warfare suits; combat logs compiled by officers working for Gen H Norman Schwarzkopf show American commanders ignored Czech warnings that low levels of nerve and mustard gas had been detected in vicinity of American troops; interviews with Czech soldiers and officials, including two former Czech defense ministers, raise new doubts about public accounts offered by Pentagon, which has come under harsh criticism over its treatment of gulf war veterans who say they are sick because of exposure to chemical or biological weapons; photos; maps (L)

Democratic National Committee says it has suspended fund-raising activities of John Huang and asked Federal Election Commission to begin probe to determine if Huang solicited any improper donations; Huang is apparently seen as political liability following report he organized event at Buddhist Temple and solicited illegal contribution of $250,000 from South Korean conglomerate; Democrats returned South Korean donation and plan to reimburse Buddhist Temple for food and other expenses at fund-raiser; central theme of Bob Dole's Presidential campaign of late has been corrosive influence of foreign money in American politics; Huang, associate of billionaire Riady family of Indonesia, reportedly contributed or raised millions of dollars for Democrats; Pres Clinton's campaign responds by accusing Republicans of their own fund-raising chicanery (M)

Bosnian Serbs Hiding Arms Diplomats say Bosnian Serbs have kept far more heavy arms than they are required to declare, in an effort to avoid destroying them. Page 6. Outrage Spreads in Belgium Belgians angered by disclosures of sexual murders and a child pornography ring say the Government has slowed the investigation by dismissing a judge who had vigorously pursued the defendants. Page 3. United Dismisses Agency Abandoning its plea to ''fly the friendly skies,'' United Airlines dismissed the Leo Burnett Company, the Chicago agency that had served the carrier since 1965. Page 37. World Series Scouting Report A look at how the Yankees and the Atlanta Braves match up. SportsSaturday, page 31.

New York City Police Lt Federico Narvaez is shot and killed on residential street in Flatbush section of Brooklyn as he sought to help woman who said she was being stalked; minutes later, suspect in shooting, Harvey Richardson, is killed in hail of police gunfire nearby; Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani reacts with outrage that man with Richardson's long history of violence should be out on streets; Richardson had been arrested 17 times and convicted of seven violent felonies; photos; map (M)