No. 194, 11 October 1991

USSR--ALL-UNION TOPICS AND RSFSR



SITUATION IN CHECHENO-INGUSHETIA DETERIORATES FURTHER. The situation
in Checheno-Ingushetia deteriorated further October10 according
to various reports in the Soviet media. The Council of Ministers
building in Groznyi was seized by the national guard. Two hundred
detainees in the local prison rioted, demanding to be released
so as to enroll in the national guard. Thirty escaped, of whom
two were shot, and one killed. A unit of MVD internal troops
sent to strengthen the prison guard was turned back by a crowd.
The republican prosecutor was arrested. Some of the members of
the Provisional Supreme Council, the supreme body of power in
the republic, went into hiding in Groznyi while others left the
city. (Ann Sheehy)

RSFSR SUPREME SOVIET ADOPTS RESO-LUTION ON CHECHENO-INGUSHETIA.
The crisis in Checheno-Ingushetia was discussed by a full session
of the RSFSR Supreme Soviet October10. Russian KGB chairman Viktor
Ivanenko said the situation was critical and could have dramatic
consequences. Russian Vice-President Aleksandr Rutskoi asked
for special powers to deal with the situation. He said he had
tried several times to discuss the matter on the phone with Yeltsin
but had been unable to get through. The Russian parliament approved
a resolution requesting the Russian president and government
to take immediate steps to restore order. A delegation of RSFSR
deputies headed by RSFSR prosecutor general Stepankov. (Ann Sheehy)


RUTSKOI ON SITUATION IN CHECHENO-INGUSHETIA. In an interview
on central television on October 10, RSFSR Vice-President Aleksandr
Rutskoi said that retired general Dzhokhar Dudaev, chairman of
the so-called Executive Committee of the Congress of the Chechen
People which has led the revolt against established authority,
was being told that no actions would be taken against him and
he could participate in the upcoming elections if the national
guard handed in their weapons to the republican MVD. Rutskoi
maintained that in the auls(villages) and in Groznyi itself armed
formations were being organized that intended to act against
Dudaev. Rutskoi further accused Dudaev of provoking hostility
between the Chechen and Ingush peoples. (Ann Sheehy)

NORTH OSSETIAN APPEAL TO USSR AND RSFSR PRESIDENTS. An appeal
to the USSR and RSFSR presidents from the Supreme Soviet and
Council of Ministers of North Ossetia was published in the North
Ossetia press October 10, TASS reported the same day. The appeal
stated a 15,000 strong national guard had been formed in Checheno-Ingushetia
and that it had been learnt that on October 12 the Ingush population
would embark on actions of disobedience, going so far as to see
part on North Ossetia in furtherance of their claims for the
return of Prigorodnyi raion and the right bank of Vladikavkaz.
The appeal called on the two presidents to take immediate steps
to protect the population of North Ossetia. (Ann Sheehy)

STATE COUNCIL TO MEET. The State Council is scheduled to meet
today in Moscow. On its agenda, according to TASS October 10,
are the draft Union Treaty; the draft Treaty on the Economic
Community; the agreement on food supply that was approved by
the Committee for the Operational Management of the Economy on
October 9; and the reorganization of the KGB. (Keith Bush)

CRITICISM OF ECONOMIC TREATY. Interfax of October 10 reported
a document signed on behalf of the RSFSR government by Oleg Lobov
containing criticism of the draft Treaty on an Economic Community
initialled in Alma-Ata. It charged that the treaty preserves
the center as an "extra" member of the future community; the
proposed mechanism of intra-community relations infringes upon
the interests of the RSFSR; and the consequences of the possible
non-conclusion of additional agreements envisaged by the treaty
are unknown. The document listed several suggested changes. On
the same day, Kirgiz President Askar Akaev told Izvestia that
the draft economic community treaty reflects a lack of trust
in the independence of the republics, and clearly favors the
central government's needs over those of the republics. (Keith
Bush)

CONFLICT BETWEEN RUSSIA'S VICE-PRESIDENT AND KGB CHIEF. RSFSR
Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi, who is struggling for the post
of Russian premier, has denounced RSFSR KGB chief Viktor Ivanenko
as "lazy and incompetent and a danger to the state." According
to The Los Angeles Times on October 11, Rutskoi told the RSFSR
Supreme Soviet that he will demand Ivanenko's resignation. The
conflict emerged after the KGB chief contradicted demands by
Rutskoi and acting head of parliament, Ruslan Khasbulatov, for
forceful action to bring the situation in Chechen-Ingushetia
under control. Ivanenko suggested a dialogue with the self-proclaimed
leaders of the rebellious autonomous republic, instead of the
use of force. (Alexander Rahr)

RSFSR LEADERSHIP NOT COMPLETELY IN CONTROL OF RUSSIA. RSFSR State
Secretary Gennadii Burbulis admitted on Soviet TV on October
9 that Yeltsin's administration is only about 70% in control
of the RSFSR. "With every day the RSFSR government is losing
the credit won on the barricades," Gorbachev's aide Yurii Krasin
told Western news agencies October 10. RSFSR President Boris
Yeltsin, scheduled to return from vacation on October 10, remained
a day longer in the Crimea, provoking rumors about his health.
RSFSR deputy Anatolii Greshnevikov was quoted in The Washington
Post on October 11 that Yeltsin had undoubtedly written an interesting
book on the coup but that this was not what the people now expect
of him. (Alexander Rahr)

RUTSKOI SAID HE COULD NOT REACH YELTSIN. RSFSR Vice President
Aleksandr Rutskoi told the Russian parliament that communications
with Yeltsin in the Crimea had almost broken down, TASS reported
on October 10. The report quoted Rutskoi as saying that he had
tried to reach Yeltsin on twelve occasions but did not succeed.
Rutskoi added that the acting head of parliament, Ruslan Khasbulatov,
had experienced similar problems when he tried to contact the
president. The new show "Vesti" reported on October 10 that Yeltsin
will be confronted with numerous questions at the meeting of
the USSR State Council, and will be asked particularly why he
did not contradict his state secretary's statement that Russia
is the legitimate heir of the USSR. (Alexander Rahr)

RADIO ROSSII ON CRISIS OF DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT. Not only the RSFSR
leadership, but also various democratic parties in the republic
are in crisis, Radio Rossii said on October 10. The radio quoted
Moscow mayor Gavriil Popov as saying that the democratic movement
has split into a liberal wing, which supports the introduction
of a market economy but gives little heed to the creation of
a social security net, and a social democratic wing, which concentrates
on the latter. Radio Rossii added that the parties disagree about
the future of the USSR: the Democratic Party of Russia and the
Christian Democrats support the creation of a viable federation
on the territory of what used to be the USSR, while the Republican
Party of Russia advocates a complete dismantling of the empire.
(Vera Tolz)

STANKEVICH PREDICTS NEW UNION CENTERED ON RUSSIA. RSFSR State
Counselor Sergei Stankevich has repeated his former denunciation
of the planned economic union. He was quoted in the October 11
issue of The Washington Post as saying that other republics now
say that "everything that is on our territory is ours: everything
that is in Russia is common." He warned that the republics want
to protect their markets by introducing their own currencies
and then crush the Russian market with huge quantities of rubles.
Stankevich stressed that Russia must become a real state and
claim everything on its territory as its own. He forecast that
other republics may in future unite around a strong Russia and
that Russia will become the core of a future union. (Alexander
Rahr)

ACADEMY OF SCIENCES TO BE FINANCED BY RUSSIA AND CENTER. The
General Assembly of the USSR Academy of Sciences voted October
10 to restore the name Russian Academy of Sciences to the organization.
This was suggested earlier by the presidium of the USSR Academy
of Sciences. The assembly also advocated the signing of inter-republican
agreements on scientific cooperation. According to TASS, in the
near future the academy will be financed by both the RSFSR and
all-Union government. (Vera Tolz)

CANADIAN AID FORTHCOMING. Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
announced on October10 that his country is preparing a major
aid package to help the Soviet Union this winter, Western agencies
reported October 11. The package was said to be worth "several
hundred million dollars," and would include credits for the sale
of "several million tons" of grain this winter. Canadian officials
were also quoted as saying that they would consider restructuring
Soviet debt service payments to Canada of about $1 billion. (Keith
Bush)

UAE AID ON THE WAY. An aircraft carrying food and medical aid
left the United Arab Emirates October 10 for the Soviet Union,
Western agencies reported that day. A second shipment was due
to leave today. The aid shipments were ordered by the UAE president
to help the Soviet people overcome economic hardships and pressures
caused by the abortive August coup. The Emirates News Agency
said that the aid is also aimed at helping the economic reform
process in the USSR and to thank the Soviet Union for its stance
during the Gulf War. (Keith Bush)

PURCHASE OF AMERICAN WHEAT. The United States Department of Agriculture
announced the sale of 578,000 tons of wheat to the USSR October10.
This brings the total US grain and feedstuffs sold to the Soviet
Union under the current long-term grain purchase agreement to:
2.6 million tons of wheat, 10 millions tons of corn, and over
3 million tons of soybeans and soybean meal. In addition, the
USDA said that it had approved subsidies for the previous sale
of 770,580tons of wheat to the Soviet Union. (Robert Lyle/Keith
Bush)

HIGH COURT RULES THAT HASIDIC BOOKS MUST BE RETURNED. TASS reported
on October10 that the Supreme Arbitration Court of the RSFSR
has ruled that the famous Shneerson Collection of Hasidic books
and manuscripts, now housed in the Lenin Library, must be handed
over within a month to the Moscow Hasidic community which had
demanded its return. Members of the community staged a sit-in
at the Library to press their demand. The general director of
the Lenin Library, Anatolii Volik, characterized the court decision
as a "new attack on the national heritage" and claimed that ten
years would be necessary to determine which books are part of
the collection. (Oxana Antic)

HONECKER BLAMES SHEVARDNADZE. Former East German leader Erich
Honecker said in a German TV interview October 10 that the collapse
of East Germany was a consequence of the Soviet Union's foreign
policy, not street protests. He said that as early as 1986, Eduard
Shevardnadze had decided that the "existence of the German Democratic
Republic was artificial and unnatural." Honecker also said he
would return to Germany only if the "illegal arrest warrant"
against him is lifted, Western agencies reported October 10.
(Suzanne Crow)

GORBACHEV TO MEDIATE IN YUGO CRISIS? Croatian Radio said October
10 that Gorbachev invited Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic
and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman to Moscow for talks on
the Yugoslav crisis and that the two Yugoslav leaders will travel
to Moscow "early next week." Tanjug also reported plans for a
meeting, quoting Soviet diplomats in Belgrade as saying the intention
was for a meeting to be held soon. (Suzanne Crow)

CLOSER TIES WITH NATO? Gorbachev adviser Vadim Zagladin called
for closer ties between the USSR and NATO, an anonymous NATO
official said October 10. Speaking to a Western news agency,
the NATO official said that "Mr. Zaglyadin underlined the need
for closer relations with NATO." Zaglyadin also reportedly urged
that NATO open an information office in Moscow. (Suzanne Crow)


USSR--OTHER REPUBLICS



AZERBAIJAN VOTES TO CONFISCATE SOVIET MILITARY HARDWARE. The
Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet voted October 10 to "nationalize"
all Soviet military equipment on its territory to equip a new
republican army, Western news agencies reported that day. Radical
deputies said they would organize road blocks to prevent the
transfer of arms back to the RSFSR. The parliament also ap-proved
the recall of 140,000 Azerbaijani conscripts currently serving
in the Soviet armed forces. (Liz Fuller)

APPEAL FOR POSTPONEMENT OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. Interfax reported
October 10 that four Armenian presidential election candidates have appealed
to the Armenian parliament to postpone the election, scheduled
for October 16, in order to give additional time for campaigning
and to appoint a new electoral commission. The Armenian Supreme
Court recently overruled an Electoral Commission decision to
bar the candidacy of USSR People's Deputy Zori Balayan, who responded
by demanding the resignation of the Electoral Commission members
responsible. (Liz Fuller)

IRAN TO OPEN CONSULATE IN TURK-MENISTAN. Western news agencies
reported on October 10 that Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar
Velayati had announced that his country will open a consulate
in Ashkhabad, and Turkmenistan will open a representation office
in Tehran. Velayati, who spoke to foreign journalists after talks
with Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov, said that discussions
had also touched on the establishment of cross-border rail service.
Niyazov arrived in Iran with a 65-member delegation earlier in
the week. The trip is part of his effort to establish Turkmenistan
as an entity in its own right in the world community. (Bess Brown)


MOLDAVIA CONCERNED OVER RUSSIA'S AMBITIONS. Moldavian President
Mircea Snegur told a press conference in Kishinev October 10
that Moldavia was "perplexed and worried" by the positions of
some RSFSR leaders concerning Russia's relations with other republics,
TASS reported that day. Snegur focused on demands by Rutskoi
and others that the negotiation of an economic community be linked
to, and preceded by, the conclusion of a political union and
on the claims that the RSFSR become the legal successor to the
USSR. Snegur said that such demands are "categorically unacceptable"
and that "there can be no question of any political union" as
far as Moldavia is concerned. (Vladimir Socor).

MOLDAVIANS SAID OVERWHELMINGLY TO OPPOSE REUNIFICATION WITH ROMANIA.
The October 2 issue of Moldova Suverana quoted Snegur as telling
journalists that the idea of Moldavia's reunification with Romania
"is opposed by 95% of the republic's population." The overwhelming
majority favors an independent Moldavian state, Snegur added.
The same issue of the daily reported that Snegur had demanded
an explanation from Romanian President Ion Iliescu concerning
a statement by Romania's outgoing Prime Minister Petre Roman
that Romania was prepared to reunite with Moldavia. (Vladimir
Socor)


BALTIC STATES


BALTIC STATES BALTS DISREGARD INVITATIONS TO DISCUSS SOVIET MILITARY
FUTURE. Despite telegrams urging attendance, representatives
of the Baltic States did not participate in the inter-republican
consultations called by the USSR Ministry of Defense on matters
relating to the future of the Soviet armed forces, the USSR military
budget for 1992 and the conscription of new recruits. Ukraine
also did not send representatives. Latvian Deputy Talavs Jundzis
told Radio Riga on October 8 that this invitation was one of
many examples of Moscow refusing to accept Baltic independence.
Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis protested against the
invitation sent by USSR Defense Minister Evegenii Shaposhnikov
on October 5 and two days later Shaposhnikov apologized, saying
that the telegram should not have been sent to the Baltic States,
Radio Vilnius reported on October 7. (Dzintra Bungs)

MOSCOW ASKS FOR UNDERSTANDING IN TROOP PULLOUT. USSR Foreign
Ministry spokesman Vitalii Churkin said that withdrawing Soviet
forces from Eastern Europe is straining USSR resources and asked
the Baltic leaders for patience. Claiming that Baltic leaders
had been issuing ultimatums, he said that he hoped that they
would take a more realistic stance, Radio Moscow reported on
October 10. Valerii Manilov, chief of the Soviet Defense Ministry's
Information Service, told TASS on October 10 that the Baltic
Council's demand for a full withdrawal of Soviet troops from
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is "unrealistic and sounds like
an ultimatum. Therefore, it does not accord with human, civilized
relations between states." Actually, the Baltic Council had asked
only for the removal of Soviet troops from the Baltic capitals
by that date. (Dzintra Bungs)

LATVIA LINKS ECONOMIC SUCCESS TO TROOP WITHDRAWAL. Latvian delegate
Ojars Kalnins told the UN General Assembly on October10 that
the rebirth of the Latvian economy depends on the earliest possible
withdrawal of Soviet troops from Latvia. He saw the recent US
and Soviet arms initiatives to reduce their nuclear arms as a
first step toward a nuclear-free Baltic region. He added that
a fair settlement of the USSR troops issue is critically important
for advancing long-term security and cooperation in the region,
reported RFE/RL correspondent in New York on October 10. (Dzintra
Bungs)

SOVIET MILITARY TO VACATE SEVERAL BUILDINGS IN RIGA. In a meeting
in Moscow between USSR Minister of Defense Evegenii Shaposhnikov
and Latvian Permanent Representative Janis Peters, it was agreed
that the Baltic Military District Headquarters would be withdrawn
from Riga early next year. An accord was also reached that the
Soviet military would also vacate in the near future buildings
formerly housing the German Embassy in Latvia and the Latvian
Society, Radio Riga reported on October 10. (Dzintra Bungs)

JAAKSON: SOVIET TROOPS THREATEN ESTONIA'S SOVEREIGNTY. Ernst
Jaakson, Estonian ambassador to the United Nations, told the
UN General Assembly on October 10 that the presence of Soviet
nuclear weapons and large contingents of "Soviet occupation forces"
on its soil threaten the sovereignty of Estonia. According to
a RFE/RL correspondent's report from New York on October 10,
Jaakson noted that while Estonia understood that some time must
be allowed for the removal of the Soviet troops, it should begin
sooner than 1994 as suggested by Soviet negotiators. He added
that there are political forces and government agencies in the
USSR which "fail to acknowledge or to accept" Estonia's independence
and they continue to treat Estonia as a constituent republic
of the USSR. (Dzintra Bungs)

SOVIET KGB CHAIRMAN: ESTONIAN COOPERATION "INEVITABLE." Commenting
on the most recent protocol aimed at liquidating the KGB in Estonia,
USSR KGB Chairman Vadim Bakatin told TASS on October 10 that
the protocol responded to the need to prevent "the use of the
Estonian KGB's secret agent network to the detriment of the Republic
of Estonia." The protocol also stipulated the transfer of KGB
documents to Estonia "after it ensures sufficient legal guarantees
and secrecy of their content and security for people mentioned
in them." Bakatin added that he was sure that "this is not the
end of cooperation, and after legislative acts are passed in
Estonia concerning a security service in the republic, it will
be possible to discuss new forms for such cooperation," which
he believes, "is inevitable." (Dzintra Bungs)

NORDIC COUNCIL OPENS INFORMATION BUREAU IN RIGA. Radio Riga reported
on October 10 that earlier that day the Nordic Council formally
opened its information bureau in the Latvian capital. An important
function of the bureau will be to provide information and help
establish contacts in the realms of culture and education. (Dzintra
Bungs)

NEW MINISTERS IN LITHUANIA. Baltfax reported on October 10 that
Audrius Butkevicius had been endorsed by the Supreme Council
as Lithuania's new Minister of Defense. He had previously served
as Director General of the Department of Home Defense. The Council
approved Vytenis Aleskaitis as Minister of Foreign Economic Relations.
The Supreme Council also considered appointing a new Minister
of Communications and Information, according to the RFE/RL Lithuanian
Service, but did not complete the process. (Dzintra Bungs)

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN LATVIA CELEBRATE CENTENARY. A festive
church service was held at Riga's Orthodox Cathedral to mark
its centenary and that of the affiliated cloister for nuns on
October 6, Radio Riga reported on October 7. Among the guests
attending the ceremonies was the Swedish diplomatic representative
in Riga, Lars Freden. (Dzintra Bungs)

LATVIAN LEADERS MEET NORWEGIAN KING AND PRIME MINISTER. Earlier
this week a Latvian delegation, headed by Supreme Council Chairman
Anatolijs Gorbunovs, visited Norway at the invitation of SOS
Baltica. According to Radio Riga on October 9, the Latvians returned
to Riga earlier that day. The focus of the Latvian-Norwegian
meetings was on economic cooperation. During their short stay
in Norway, the Latvians were received by King Harald V and Prime
Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. (Dzintra Bungs)