No. 184, 26 September 1991

USSR--ALL-UNION TOPICS AND RSFSR



REVOLT IN THE RSFSR GOVERNMENT. RSFSR President Boris Yeltsin
is sick or exhausted and has gone on a long vacation, leaving
his government in a state of revolt, Western news agencies reported
on September 26. Acting RSFSR premier Ivan Silaev, who simultaneously
heads the Committee for the Management of the USSR Economy, insists
on shifting back to the Union some of the control acquired by
Russia. RSFSR officials accuse Silaev of betraying Russia. RSFSR
State Counselor Sergei Shakhrai has accused Silaev of "favoritism"
and "financial and other irregularities." Shakhrai has also criticized
his boss, Yeltsin, for the latter's recent decree subordinating
the RSFSR government directly to the RSFSR presidential office.
(Alexander Rahr)

GORBACHEV SETS UP ADVISORY COUNCIL. USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev
has set up a new Political-Consultative Council. According to
TASS on September 25, Gorbachev appointed former foreign minister
Eduard Shevardnadze, his chief aide Aleksandr Yakovlev, KGB chief
Vadim Bakatin, the mayors of Moscow and St. Petersburg, Gavriil
Popov and Anatolii Sobchak, the chief of USSR TV and radio broadcasting
Egor Yakovlev, former economic advisor Nikolai Petrakov, academician
Evgenii Velikhov, and security expert Yurii Ryzhov as members
of the Council. 7 out of9 members are Russians; they all belong
to the reformers' camp. The Council will not directly interfere
in politics and is designed as a mere consultative body. (Alexander
Rahr)

WAIGEL MEETS GORBACHEV. German Finance Minister Theo Waigel has
invited USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev to attend the next world
economic summit which will take place in Munich next July, AFP
reported on September 25. Waigel met Gorbachev in the Kremlin
on September 24. He also visited Kiev and Alma-Ata and presented
the Soviet Union 7,000 vans from the former GDR army. Gorbachev
reportedly told Waigel that Germany had provided the greatest
help for democrats in the USSR during the putsch attempt. Waigel
said that Gorbachev had told him that the Union will retain control
over many aspects of foreign trade. (Alexander Rahr)

INTER-REPUBLICAN ECONOMIC TREATY. President Gorbachev told visiting
German Finance Minister Theo Waigel September 25 that the new
economic treaty between the republics will be signed at the beginning
of October, Western agencies reported that day. Gorbachev was
also quoted as declaring that the economic treaty would be followed
by the signing of the Union Treaty, although no date was specified
for this. Waigel cited Aleksandr Yakovlev as saying that all
republics except Estonia are participating in negotiations on
the economic treaty. (Keith Bush)

DEMONSTRATION IN SUPPORT OF POPOV. A demonstration in
support of Moscow mayor Gavriil Popov was held in Moscow September
25, organized by the Moscow branch of the Democratic Russia Movement.
Critics have accused Popov of unnecessarily strengthening executive
power. DPA reported that the demonstration, attended by more
than 50,000 people, was addressed by Eduard Shevardnadze, who
called on Muscovites to support Popov. Another speaker, Father
Gleb Yakunin, called for the dissolution of the Moscow city Soviet,
which opposes Popov. The latest in a series of conflicts between
Popov and the Soviet was his appointment of Arkadii Murashev
of Democratic Russia to head the Moscow militia. (Vera Tolz)


SHAPOSHNIKOV ON MILITARY REFORM. USSR Defense Minister Evgenii
Shaposhnikov was quoted in Pravda on September 25 as saying that
he intends to cut his ministry's staff by 20-30%. He stressed
that the Soviet defense ministry should be under civilian control.
He revealed plans to divide the present ministry into several
"committees," one of which, headed by the chief of the General
Staff, would be in charge of the armed forces. Shaposhnikov spoke
out against the formation of separate republican armies and stressed
the need for central control over the armed forces. He also called
for a review of Soviet military doctrine. No one considers the
USSR a potential enemy, he said. (Alexander Rahr)

NEW BALTIC, BLACK SEA FLEET COMMANDERS. Profiles of the new commanders
of the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets appear in the September 26
issue of Krasnaya zvezda. Vice Admiral Vladimir Grigorevich Yegorov
(born in 1938) will be commander of the Baltic Fleet. He has
been its first deputy commander since 1988 and in 1990 completed
(as an external student) the USSR Armed Forces General Staff
Military Academy. Vice Admiral Igor Vladimirovich Kasatonov (born
in 1939) is the new commander of the Black Sea Fleet. Since 1988
he has been the first deputy commander of the Northern Fleet.
(Saulius Girnius)

MORE WESTERN CREDITS NEEDED? USSR Gosbank Chairman Viktor Gerashchenko
told reporters in Helsinki on September 25 that total Soviet
indebtedness to the West is now $68 billion, including $3 billion
in commercial defaults. The Soviet Union may have to borrow another
$10-15 billion but would, in Gerashchenko's opinion, continue
to be able to service its debts. He doubted whether the ruble
would become [internally] convertible in 1992, given the existing
price formation system. (Keith Bush)

PRECONDITIONS FOR ENERGY CHARTER. Unspecified European Community
sources told Western agencies September 25 of new Soviet demands
during negotiations on the proposed European Energy Charter.
Soviet officials are reported to have stipulated that Western
nations must open their markets to Soviet energy exports in exchange
for access to Soviet oil and gas. They also demanded that East
European nations be allowed a transition period to adapt to any
commitments they undertake under the Charter. Previous Soviet
bargaining points included the requirement for upfront financing
and technical assistance for the Soviet fuel industry. It is
thought that individual Soviet republics will be invited to sign
the Charter in December. (Keith Bush)

NEW CREDIT CARD ISSUED. A private bank in Moscow,
Kredobank, is to issue credit cards commencing next week, Western
agencies reported September 25. Holders will have to make an
initial deposit with the bank of at least $10,000, and keep a
credit balance of at least $3,000. Card-holders will be charged
one% on all transactions, but merchants will not have to pay
fees. The cards are to be issued in conjunction with Visa International.
(Keith Bush)

SOVIET SAVINGS BANK INVESTS IN EURASCO. The USSR Savings Bank
has invested some two million Swiss francs (US$1.35 million)
in Eurasco Zurich, Western agencies reported September 26. Eurasco
is a financial company which gets its capital from Eastern as
well as Western sources. It is involved with Soviet banking partners
in various programs aimed at reforming the aging Soviet financial
sector. Since winning permission to undertake economic activities
abroad in December, 1990, Soviet banks have invested a total
of 30million Swiss francs in Eurasco. (John Tedstrom)

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF RUSSIA REVIVED. The Independent Information
Service reported on September 23 that the United Evangelical-Lutheran
Church of Russia would be registered by the RSFSR Ministry of
Justice on September 24. There are already registered Protestant
communities in Sankt Peterburg, Moscow, Novgorod, Samara and
other towns. (Oxana Antic)

MFA PAINTS GLOOMY PICTURE OF SOVIET-CUBAN TIES. Two recent Soviet
Foreign Ministry reports obtained by The Miami Herald point to
"a drastic reduction of Soviet-Cuban cooperation" on military,
political, and economic matters. According to Western agencies
on September 26, one report predicted cuts in Soviet deliveries
of weapons and military equipment to Cuba, as well as a reduction
in military advisers and specialists stationed there. On foreign
policy, the report noted a "huge gap" between the two countries,
and observed that "Cuba is starting to contradict Soviet policy,"
especially on human rights, arms reduction, and regional conflicts.
A second report dealing with economic ties said that Soviet loans
and trade subsidies, as well as oil sales to Cuba and sugar imports,
will be significantly lower this year than in 1990. (Sallie Wise
Chaballier)

CASTRO DISAGREES WITH SOVIET TROOP WITHDRAWAL. Cuban President
Fidel Castro declared at a press conference in Havana on September
24 that he opposes the pullout of Soviet troops from Cuba. "We
don't agree with the withdrawal of the [Soviet military training]
brigade, just as we can't agree that Yankee troops should remain
at Guantanamo," Western agency reports on September 25 quoted
him as saying. Castro maintained that Cuba was not seeking to
change its "links of friendship, tradition and history" with
the USSR, but his remarks--a day after the departure of Soviet
Deputy Foreign Minister Valerii Nikolaenko--underlined his clear
displeasure with Cuba's erstwhile patron. At one point he asked,
"Are you talking about the Soviet Union or what's left of the
Soviet Union?" (Sallie Wise Chaballier)

YELTSIN ISSUES DECREE OPENING VLADIVOSTOK. RSFSR President Boris
Yeltsin has decreed that the Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok
will be opened to foreigners as of January 1, 1992. Foreign ships
will be permitted to use the city's port, and foreign citizens
will be allowed to live in the city and "engage in entrepreneurial
activity." According to Radio Mayak on September 25, summarizing
a report on the decree in Komsomolskaya pravda of the same date,
many foreign firms are ready to open offices in Vladivostok,
and several countries may open consulates there. The report noted
that the USSR Ministry of Defense opposed the decree up to the
last minute, but now the naval base in the city reportedly will
have to make some room for other establishments. (Sallie Wise
Chaballier)


USSR--OTHER REPUBLICS


FIVE KILLED IN TBILISI. Three Georgian policemen and two members
of the rebel National Guard were killed in a shootout early September25,
the circumstances of which are unclear. Talks between four government
ministers and ex-prime Minister Tengiz Sigua and National Guard
commander Tengiz Kitovani September 25 failed to yield an agreement.
Opposition forces began live TV broadcasts from the TV center
which they occupied September 22, Western news agencies reported
September 25. (Liz Fuller)

GEORGIA APPLIES FOR CSCE OBSERVER STATUS. Georgia applied September
25 for observer status at the Moscow human rights conference
and in the Helsinki process. The Georgian request was supported
by the official Soviet delegation but must be approved by the
other 37 member states. The only other state to have held observer
status in the Helsinki process is Albania. Only independent sovereign
states that support the Helsinki process are eligible to become
members. (Roland Eggleston/Liz Fuller)

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS, WITHDRAWS FROM PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION. Radio Erevan reported September 25 that Armenian prime
Minister Vazgen Manukyan had submitted his resignation and withdrawn
his candidacy for the Armenian presidential election scheduled
for October 16. Manukyan, who resigned in June from the ruling
Armenian Pan-National Movement to set up his own political party
and whose government has been repeatedly criticized, argued that
the "struggle to attain power" engendered by the presidential
elections was destabilizing both political and economic life
in Armenia. (Liz Fuller)

CONFRONTATION CONTINUES IN DUSHANBE.
Western and Soviet news agencies reported on September 25 and
26 that demonstrators trying to force the resignation of the
Communist-dominated Supreme Soviet of Tajikistan and the removal
of Acting President Rakhman Nabiev have settled in for a long
stay in the square in front of the parliament building in Dushanbe.
Minister of Internal Affairs Mamdaez Navdzhuvanov says that as
long as the demonstrators don't break the law, his forces won't
intervene. Demonstrators reportedly greeted the appearance of
Tajikistan's highest-ranking clergyman, Kazi Akbar Turadzhonzoda,
with great enthusiasm, but both they and the kazi reject hard-liners'
charges that the opposition wants to establish an Islamic state.
(Bess Brown)

NAZARBAEV VISITS TURKEY, MEETS OZAL. Kazakh president Nursultan
Nazarbaev met with Turkish president Turgut Ozal in Ankara September25,
and made progress on trade and economic agreements with Turkey.
According to Western reports that day, Turkish spokesmen said
the talks focused on establishing or improving waterway, rail,
and air links between the two countries in an effort to facilitate
trade. A Turkish-Kazakh satellite telephone link was also discussed
as were possible Kazakh exports of coal and natural gas. A formal
Turkish-Kazakh trade pact is expected to be finalized during
Nazarbaev's visit. Turkish officials, business people, and scholars
have expressed interest in playing a significant role in the
economic development of Azerbaijan and Central Asia. (John Tedstrom)


UKRAINIAN LEADER MEETS BUSH. Chairman of the Ukrainian Supreme
Soviet Leonid Kravchuk met with President Bush in Washington
on September 25, Western agencies reported the following day.
The talks focused on Ukraine's economic needs and nuclear weapons
policy. Kravchuk told the President that his country needed new
technology for the production and export of grain and favored
transfer of nuclear weapons presently on Ukrainian territory
to central authorities. He also said that Ukraine wants to participate
in all US-Soviet arms agreements. No agreements were reached
by the two leaders, but arrangements were made for continued
meetings between specialists and further contacts. (Roman Solchanyk)


KRAVCHUK FAVORED IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE. Chairman of the Ukrainian
Supreme Soviet Leonid Kravchuk remains the top contender in the
December 1 presidential election. A survey conducted by the Institute
of Sociology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences revealed that
Kravchuk currently enjoys a popularity rating of 33%, while the
remaining contenders lag significantly behind. The survey was
reported by Radio Kiev on September 25. (Roman Solchanyk)

MOLDAVIAN POLICE HOLD OUT IN DNIESTER TOWN. Paramilitary detachments
of Russian workers in eastern Moldavia stormed several administrative
buildings in Dubasari on September25 and laid siege to the town's
police headquarters overnight. A Moldavian MVD spokesman told
TASS and AFP that three militants were injured and 60 were detained
after attempting to seize a major bridge over the nearby Dniester.
Side arms, firearms, and communications equipment taken from
the attackers were shown on Moldavian TV that evening. Telephone
and other communications with Dubasari have been cut off by "Dniester
SSR" supporters. (Vladimir Socor)

MOLDAVIAN POLICE ON LEFT BANK UNDER PRESSURE. The attack on Dubasari
caps recent efforts to pressure Moldavian police and other law
enforcement bodies to withdraw from the left bank of the Dniester
or submit to the "Dniester SSR." Meanwhile, local Russian leaders
continue enrollment in a "people's militia" of their own. On
September 25 Moldavian President Mircea Snegur made a radiotelevised
address to the residents and authorities of the Dniester area,
appealing for calm and the observance of legality. The broadcast
could not be received in most of the affected area because the
local Russian leadership has detached local radio and TV networks
from those of Moldavia. (Vladimir Socor)

MOLDAVIAN PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN REPORTS ON WASHINGTON VISIT. Returning
from a mission to the US and Canada with Popular Front chairman
Iurie Rosca, Moldavian Parliament Chairman Alexandru Mosanu told
the Parliament that the prospects of obtaining support for recognition
of Moldavian independence looked better in the US Congress than
in the Administration. Official US policy toward the USSR and
toward the republics impressed Mosanu as "somewhat confused and
unsure of itself," Moldovapres reported September 24. Mosanu
and Rosca briefed US officials on Moldavia's relations with the
USSR, Russia, the Ukraine, and Romania, on interethnic relations
in the republic, and on Moldavia's adoption of CSCE documents
as part of its legislation. (Vladimir Socor)

MOLDAVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN LONDON. Arriving from Italy on
the second leg of his tour of Western capitals, Moldavian Foreign
Minister Nicolae Tsyu conferred in London with British State
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Douglas Hogg. Tsyu briefed Hogg
on Moldavia's internal and external situation and presented the
case for recognition of Moldavia's independence, an RFE/RL correspondent
and Radio Kishinev reported September 24 and 25. (Vladimir Socor)


BALTIC STATES



GORBACHEV APPOINTS DELEGATION LEADERS FOR BALTIC TALKS. On September25,
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev named prominent reformers
to head the delegations for negotiations with the three Baltic
states, TASS reported that day. Aleksandr Yakovlev will lead
the negotiating team for Latvia, St. Petersburg Mayor Anatolii
Sobchak that for Estonia, and former USSR Foreign Minister Eduard
Shevardnadze will head the team for Lithuania. All three are
members of Gorbachev's ninemember Political Consultative Council.
Gorbachev gave them one week to prepare "proposals on the delegations'
composition, the procedure for holding talks, and issues to be
discussed." The most difficult issue will be the Balts' demands
that Soviet troops withdraw from their territories as soon as
possible. (Saulius Girnius)

EC MEMBERSHIP TOP FOREIGN POLICY GOAL. During discussions on
foreign policy in the Lithuanian parliament on September 25,
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Algirdas Saudargas said, "We consider
that the main strategic direction of foreign policy will be to
become a full member of the European Community," the RFE Lithuanian
Service reported that day. He urged Lithuania to declare itself
a neutral nation, which would not hinder its membership in the
Community. (Saulius Girnius)

LANDSBERGIS IN COPENHAGEN. On September25, Lithuanian Supreme
Council Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis flew to Copenhagen to attend
sessions of the Nordic Council, Radio Lithuania reported that
day. He was accompanied by Lithuanian Economics Minister Albertas
Simenas. He will return to Lithuania on September 27. (Saulius
Girnius)

LUFTHANSA TO FLY TO RIGA. On September 25, the German airline
Lufthansa announced that starting in November it will have three
flights per week to Riga and Kiev, Western agencies reported
that day. The flights to Riga will be on Tuesdays, Fridays, and
Sundays as a stopover on the route from Frankfurt to St. Petersburg.
The flights to Kiev, also originating in Frankfurt, will be on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. (Saulius Girnius)