No. 155, 14 August 1992

SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

STATE OF EMERGENCY, MASS MOBILIZATION IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH. The
parliament of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic declared
a state of emergency in the region on 13 August and ordered the
mobilization of all men aged 18-45 in response to recent military
successes by Azerbaijan, Western agencies reported. In a message
addressed to Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossyan, the parliament
requested that the Armenian authorities return all refugees from
Nagorno-Karabakh currently in Armenia. (Liz Fuller)

CIS GENERAL REJECTS FORCE IN ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT. Lt.
Gen. Valerii Manilov, the press secretary of CIS Commander in
Chief Evgenii Shaposhnikov, told ITAR-TASS on 13 August that
the CIS command had, for several reasons, rejected the introduction
of peacekeeping forces to regulate the conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Manilov, in response to a request by Armenia
that the CIS Collective Security agreement be invoked, said that
the use of force should be considered only after political, diplomatic,
and economic means of resolving the dispute had been tried and
had proven unsuccessful. He also argued that the CIS Collective
Security Agreement had not yet acquired the full legal status
of an international act because the ratification process spelled
out in the agreement had not yet been completed. (Stephen Foye)


BLACK SEA FLEET PRESS CENTER "ALARMED." The Black Sea Fleet Press
Center in Sevastopol charged on 13 August that fleet personnel
and "the Crimean public" are "alarmed" over reports that the
current fleet commander, Admiral Igor Kasatonov, is to be replaced
by a Ukrainian admiral. According to Interfax, the statement
said that only "a highly professional officer can run the fleet,"
adding that Kasatonov "is the right man for the job." It also
announced that committees for defending Kasatonov have been set
up in Simferopol and Sevastopol. The statement is probably a
response to a dispatch released by the Ukrainian Naval Press
Center the day before that charged that Kasatonov's Russian-controlled
fleet command continues to harass officers loyal to Ukraine (see
RFE/RL Daily Report 13 August). (Stephen Foye)

STORMY OPENING TO CONFERENCE OF "RED DIRECTORS." Managers of
Russia's state-owned enterprises, trade union leaders, members
of parliament, and representatives of local government opened
a two-day conference in Moscow on 13 August to debate alternatives
to the Gaidar government's economic reform program. (Proposals
for the "second stage" of the Gaidar plan are to be discussed
by the Russian parliament when it reconvenes after its summer
recess on 20 September.) "Vesti" said the first day of the meeting
was stormy. Some speakers demanded Gaidar's resignation, but
the call was not generally accepted and was not adopted. However,
participants were united in their demand that a moratorium be
put on enterprise bankruptcies, and that the introduction of
industrial privatization (due to start in the fall) be postponed.
Gaidar and his colleagues had promised to attend the meeting,
which was organized by the militant "Industrialists' Union" faction
of the Russian parliament; their failure to appear caused "outrage"
among the participants, Interfax reported. "Vesti" credited industrial
leader Arkadii Volsky with calling for calm. (Elizabeth Teague)


RYZHOV MAY RETURN TO POLITICS. The possible return of the Russian
ambassador to France, Yurii Ryzhov, is being discussed in Moscow.
Ryzhov may be recalled in order to take over an important role
in the newly created Russian Security Council, Russian government
sources at Staraya ploshchad told the RFE/RL Research Institute
on 12 August. Ryzhov, a former member of the Interregional Group
of People's Deputies, is regarded as the architect of the new
Russian national security concept which he had developed long
before the August 1991 coup attempt. If Ryzhov is indeed appointed,
he will become an important counterweight to the Secretary of
the Security Council, Yurii Skokov, whose position is viewed
by liberals with skepticism. (Alexander Rahr)

KHASBULATOV APPOINTS HARDLINE ADVISORS. Russian parliamentary
chairman Ruslan Khasbulatov has surrounded himself with hardliners.
He has appointed Col. Gen. Vladislav Achalov as head of Khasbulatov's
personal scientific-political center. Achalov was formerly head
of the Soviet Airborne Forces and then a deputy defense minister.
He also participated in the 1991 Soviet military crackdown in
the Baltics and supported the putsch. Khasbulatov has made former
KGB first deputy chief Filip Bobkov his personal security advisor,
a member of the presidential research group, "RF politika" told
the RFE/RL Research Institute on 12 August. (Alexander Rahr,
Moscow)

TATARSTAN, BASHKORTOSTAN AND SAKHA PRESIDENTS WARN CENTER. The
presidents of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, and Sakha (Yakutia) issued
a joint statement on 13 August warning the central Russian authorities
that, if the center ignored their legal rights, they would take
further steps to strengthen their sovereignty, ITAR-TASS reported.
Their statement was prompted by the law on the 1992 budget adopted
by the Russian parliament on 17 July and the parliament's annulment
of the three republics' decision that all taxes be paid into
the republican budgets. They also protested the parliament's
giving the Russian government and Central Bank the right to impose
economic sanctions against republics not fulfilling their obligations
to the federal budget. (Ann Sheehy)

ABDULATIPOV ON FEDERAL TREATY AND UNITARISTS. Writing in Rossiiskaya
gazeta of 13 August, Ramazan Abdulatipov, chairman of the Russian
parliament's Council of Nationalities, stated that the federal
treaty signed on 31 March laid the basis for the formation of
civilized democratic relations within the Russian state. However,
there are those in the federal organs of power who regard the
treaty as just another piece of paper, and, Abdulatipov said,
the influence of these unitarists is increasing. Abdulatipov
maintains that even in the draft of the new Russian constitution
some provisions of the treaty are reworked, and he warns that
this kind of thing can only further the destruction of Russian
statehood. (Ann Sheehy)

RUSSIA WANTS TO EXPORT TWO TYPES OF HELICOPTERS. Mark Vainberg,
the General Director of the Mil helicopter factory in Moscow,
told a news conference on 13 August that his plant was eager
to export Mi-26 and Mi-28 helicopters. The Mi-26 is an unarmed
heavy assault/transport helicopter know in the West as the Halo.
It can carry 100 troops. The Mi-28, known in the West as the
Havoc, is a twin-engine attack helicopter that is believed to
have lost out to another model in a competition to provide a
new attack helicopter to the Soviet/Russian army. Vainberg said
that the first production models of the Mi-28 would leave the
plant in mid-1993. He also condemned plans by the Moscow government
to purchase foreign helicopters at a cost of $1.5 million each.
He said a new, domestically-designed helicopter would go into
production next year and would cost only 300,000 rubles. (Doug
Clarke)

INTERENTERPRISE DEBT SETTLEMENT CONTINUES. Russian commercial
banks are continuing work on settling enterprise debts, Interfax
reported on 13 August. They are said to be following the instructions
issued on 28 July by the acting chairman of the Russian Central
bank, Viktor Gerashchenko. On 6 August, according to Radio Rossii,
Russian Economics Minister Andrei Nechaev announced that the
government was insisting that the Central Bank withdraw the 28
July telegram and ruled out the automatic writing off of interenterprise
debts. Gerashchenko subsequently said that the Central Bank plans
to print between 350 billion and 450 billion rubles in 1992 to
cover these debts. The precise status of the standoff between
Gerashchenko and the Gaidar administration remains unclear. (Keith
Bush)

PERIODICAL DISTRIBUTORS TO BE PRIVATIZED. The Russian Ministry
of Communications will kick off its privatization program this
year with the sale of Rospechat, the network of periodical distributors.
In an interview with ITAR-TASS on 13 August, Deputy Minister
of Communications Boris Butenko said the ministry had not yet
decided whether to sell off the network as a whole or each kiosk
individually. The ministry's program also includes creating three
separate companies for telecommunications, broadcasting and postal
services. By 1995, minority shares in the first two companies
will have been sold off to workers and other investors. Only
the postal service is to remain fully in state hands. (Erik Whitlock).


MORE CUSTOMS POSTS ON RUSSIA'S BORDERS. On 12 August, the Russian
Cabinet of Ministers discussed measures to prevent "unlawful
exports of valuable raw materials from the Russian Federation,"
Interfax reported. In this connection, the agency noted, 23 new
customs posts are to be erected along Russia's borders with the
Baltic states, in addition to the 24 opened there in June. An
unnamed customs official was quoted as saying that 24 customs
posts will be created on the border with Ukraine. Russian Vice-president
Aleksandr Rutskoi was quoted by Interfax on 13 August as calling
for the immediate creation of customs posts on Russian borders,
but it was not clear whether this call came before or after the
cabinet meeting. (Keith Bush)

GEORGIAN NATIONAL GUARD LAUNCHES HUNT FOR HOSTAGES. National
Guard contingents in Western Georgia set about securing road
and rail links on 13 August in the hunt for the security officials
taken hostage two days earlier, Western and Russian agencies
reported. Arguing against the use of military force, Aleksandr
Ankvab, the Abkhaz Minister of Internal Affairs, told Interfax
that he was prepared to act as mediator in securing the release
of the hostages. The Georgian Interior Ministry quoted Ankvab
as stating that he had met with Gocha Bakhia, the head of the
group holding the hostages, and that he had had access to the
hostages themselves, who were in "satisfactory" condition. The
location of the hostages is still unclear. (Liz Fuller)

FOKIN TO GO? A "reliable source close to Ukrainian President
Leonid Kravchuk" told DR-Press on 13 August that Prime Minister
Vitold Fokin will be sacked in three weeks' time and take charge
of Ukraine's oil industry. Kravchuk, according to the report,
will propose Vasyl Evtukhov as Fokin's replacement. Evtukhov
is a deputy from the "New Ukraine" faction in the Ukrainian parliament
and currently heads the parliamentary commission on the development
of base branches of the economy. (Roman Solchanyk).

DEBATE OVER PRESIDENCY CONTINUES IN TAJIKISTAN. The debate in
Tajikistan's Supreme Soviet over the institution of the presidency
continued on 13 August with the head of the opposition Democratic
Party, Shodmon Yusupov, describing President Rakhmon Nabiev as
the chief destabilizing figure in the country and demanding his
resignation, ITAR-TASS reported. Prior to the opening of the
session, the opposition coalition had announced their intention
to demand Nabiev's resignation; this had been one of their main
objectives during the two months of demonstrations in the spring.
Yusupov went even further in his speech to the legislature, calling
for the presidency to be replaced by a temporary state council
that would include representatives of all regions of the country.
(Bess Brown)

US OFFERS CREDITS TO TAJIKISTAN. The United States is offering
credits to Tajikistan to enable the country to make purchases
of food, especially grains, Khovar-TASS reported on 13 August.
The offer comes on top of the aid shipments sent earlier in the
year to help the violence-torn and economically distressed country
cope with the effects of severe natural disasters, including
major landslides, earlier in the year. (Bess Brown)

KARIMOV VISITS PAKISTAN. An RFE/RL correspondent reported on
Uzbek President Karimov's arrival in the Pakistan capital of
Islamabad on 13 August. Karimov and Pakistani Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif have signed three accords, including agreements
on protecting investments, and cooperation on communications
and energy projects. The two leaders expressed their concern
about the situation in Afghanistan; fighting in the capital Kabul
prevented a planned trilateral meeting with interim Afghan President
Burhannudin Rabbani. Karimov will also attend Pakistani independence
day celebrations on 14 August. (Cassandra Cavanaugh)

FURTHER STEP TOWARD SOLUTION OF KAZAKHSTAN'S TRANSPORT PROBLEMS.
Soon after Kazakhstan became an independent state, officials
in Alma-Ata announced that the country was seeking outside help
in construction of a motor vehicle factory to help solve Kazakhstan's
chronic shortage of transport. At first Turkish firms were approached,
and later contacts were established with Japanese and Italian
auto makers. On 13 August, Kaztag-TASS reported that Kazakhstan's
Premier Sergei Tereshchenko had signed an agreement with General
Motors and the Russian passenger-vehicle firm Avtovaz to cooperate
in the production and sale of motor vehicles and development
of a network of service establishments. (Bess Brown)

RISE IN TUBERCULOSIS IN KHABAROVSK REGION. ITAR-TASS of 13 August
reported a sharp rise in the number of registered tuberculosis
cases in the Khabarovsk region: 52 out of every 100,000 inhabitants
are infected with active TB. A third of these are untreated.
Sufferers of active but untreated TB put those around them at
risk, especially children and teenagers. TB is a sensitive indicator
of social disorder: it thrives in conditions of crowding and
poverty, and requires an intact health system able to track patient
treatment over an extended period in time. According to the Russian
Ministry of Health, TB is on the rise throughout the former Soviet
Union. (Sarah Helmstadter)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

UN APPROVES LIMITED USE OF FORCE IN BOSNIA. International media
reported on 13 August that the Security Council voted 12-0-3
to authorize "all necessary measures" to ensure the delivery
of relief aid, but it did not endorse using force to end of the
fighting. The Council also voted 15-0 to condemn "ethnic cleansing"
and warn those committing war crimes that they may be called
to account. It is difficult to predict what may actually come
to pass regarding protecting the relief supplies, since few countries
have offered troops, and only Turkey is willing to send soldiers
for more extensive operations to stop the fighting. This is despite
the fact that there seems to be an international consensus to
"do something" in the face of growing reports of human rights
abuses in Bosnia, especially of alleged Serbian death camps.
Bosnia's UN ambassador called the resolutions "a band-aid" and
"the minimum to appease public opinion." In Rome, the WEU rejected
proposals to set up a fully-manned land corridor from the Adriatic
into Bosnia or any other major armed action. (Patrick Moore)


US CONDEMNS "THE LAST FASCIST STATE IN EUROPE." These were the
words Assistant Secretary of State John R. Bolton used to describe
"Serbia-Montenegro" before the special session of the UN Human
Rights Commission in Geneva on 13 August, an official press release
said. He assailed human rights abuses by all sides, and warned
the belligerants that "nothing can come of this violence except
more violence. Political gains obtained through violence can
only be maintained through further violence and repression."
Also in Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross
said all sides in the conflict have violated the Geneva Conventions
designed to set basic humanitarian standards in war. The ICRC
criticized deportations and "reducing individuals to the role
of bargaining chips," wire services reported. (Patrick Moore)


TURKEY CALLS FOR SELECTIVE AIR STRIKES IN BOSNIAN CONFLICT. The
13 August issue of Vienna's Die Presse quotes top Turkishofficials
as saying again that military intervention is necessary to end
what they call "Serbian aggression." The Turks deny that the
conflict is an ethnic or a religious one, calling it instead
the work of "a little more than a thousand bandits" around Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic. Like former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher, the Turks want selective air strikes against
Serbian military positions, arms dumps, and supply routes. Turkey
is willing to join a UN-sponsored international effort on the
model of the Gulf War coalition to bring an end to the fighting.
Turkish diplomats have recently visited London, Moscow, Budapest,
and Vienna to publicize Ankara's "action plan," which the Turks
launched earlier this month. (Patrick Moore)

MORE ON BOSNIAN MUSLIMS' CRITICISM OF TUDJMAN. The Belgrade daily
Vecernje novosti reported on 12 August that the President of
Bosnia-Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic rejected allegations by
Croatia's Franjo Tudjman that Bosnia's Muslims intended to create
na Islamic state at the expense of the Croats and Serbs. Izetbegovic
termed Tudjman's views unfounded and emphasized that Muslims
do not want to create such a state and "nobody holds any proof
that we demanded it." On 12 August Izetbegovic's Muslim Party
of Democratic Action (SDA) blamed Tudjman for allowing Croatian
troops to violate an agreement recently signed between Croatia
and Bosnia-Herzegovina on joint operations against Serb forces
in Herzegovina and central Bosnia. The SDA referred to reports
in the Bosnian, Slovenian and Serbian media that Croatian forces
have shelled Muslim villages and clashed with Bosnian Muslim
units. (Milan Andrejevich)

RUMP YUGOSLAVIA TO RECOGNIZE SLOVENIA. Radio Serbia reported
on 13 August that the government of the rump Yugoslavia would
recognize Slovenia's independence. No date was announced. Slovenia
declared its independence 25 June 1991. (Milan Andrejevich)

CSCE MEETING ON BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA. A meeting of the Conference
on Security and Cooperation in Europe, called to discuss humanitarian
aid for Bosnia-Herzegovina and NATO's and Western European Union's
participation in the military protection of humanitarian convoys,
began in Prague on 13 August, CSTK and Western agencies reported.
The CSCE meeeting was also to discuss the possibility of creating
a special CSCE committee to examine the situation in detention
camps in Bosnia-Herzegovina and monitor human rights in that
country. The CSCE may also set up a similar body in Belgrade,
to monitor human rights in Vojvodina, Kosovo, and Sandjak. (Jiri
Pehe)

BULGARIA TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH CROATIA AND SLOVENIA.
Speaking at a press conference in Sofia on 13 August, Bulgarian
Foreign Minister Stoyan Ganev announced that his country is quickly
moving toward the establishment of diplomatic relations with
Croatia and Slovenia. According to BTA, Ganev said diplomatic
notes would be sent to Zagreb and Ljubljana already the same
day. He added that relations would be extended to Bosnia-Herzegovina
as soon as peace had been reestablished there. (Kjell Engelbrekt)


BULGARIA TO END URANIUM EXTRACTION. Following several months
of intense debate, the Bulgarian government on 13 August decided
to phase out the domestic uranium extraction industry, BTA reported.
The cabinet called on the municipalities in the areas concerned
to cooperate with the labor and industry ministries in setting
up retraining programs for the 3,000 employees. Whereas government
estimates put the costs for closing down the uranium industry
at slightly below 1 billion leva (about $43 million), presidential
economic advisor and energy specialist Evgeniy Angelov in yesterday's
Otechestven vestnik suggested total expenses could rise to 6.5
billion leva (some $280 million). (Kjell Engelbrekt)

KLAUS REJECTS FEDERALIZATION OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC. Speaking
at a press conference in Prague on 13 August, Czech Prime Minister
Vaclav Klaus said that his party was opposed to the idea of a
federal arrangement for the Czech Republic. Klaus reacted to
various proposals made by opposition parties in connection with
the preparation of a new Czech constitution. These parties had
argued that the Czech Republic should not be a unitary state
but should be composed of three lands: Bohemia, Moravia-Silesia,
and Prague. Klaus said that the republic might be subdivided
into regions, but the idea of "lands" was not part of his party's
program. (Jiri Pehe)

ESTONIA RATIFIES LATVIAN BORDER AGREEMENT. The Estonian Supreme
Council on 12 August ratified an agreement setting the land border
with Latvia, BNS reported. According to the conditions of the
agreement, the land border will follow the frontier set in a
1920 border convention and the supplementary protocol to that
convention signed in 1923. A separate agreement will govern the
sea border between the two countries. (Riina Kionka)

ESTONIA SEEKS TO NEUTRALIZE FOREIGN PROPAGANDA. The Estonian
State Chancellory has created a special press office whose mandate
is "to neutralize hostile propaganda." The new press office director
Ulo Vooglaid told BNS on 13 August that his office was tasked
with fighting the libel and propaganda that some neighboring
countries "have dug out of the garbage can." Last month, "Black
Colonel" Viktor Alksnis, a well-known conduit for Moscow's conservative
circles,said that Russia would resume broadcasting Russian-language
political programs to the Baltic states. The new programs would
resemble Estonia's "Nadezhda" and Lithuania's "Sovetskaya Litva,"
both run by the Soviet military but banned after last year's
coup attempt. (Riina Kionka)

HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT IS READY TO TALK ABOUT MEDIA. President Arpad
Goncz sent a letter to Prime Minister Jozsef Antall, saying that
he was willing to talk about the problems concerning Hungarian
radio and television, reported MTI. Antall wants to replace the
heads of these organizations, but Goncz refused to accept that.
The case, which was presented to the Constitutional Court but
could not be resolved there, delays the passage of the media
law in parliament. (Karoly Okolicsanyi)

HUNGARIAN CABINET DECIDES ON SUBSIDIES TO WHEAT BUYERS. The Hungarian
government will grant preferencial credits to wheat purchasers,
up to half-a-million ton, reported MTI. The move came because
of agricultiral sector's liquidity problem, and repeated a similar
action in 1991. In addition, tax rebates on gasoline used in
agriculture will be considered during September's budget revision.
The cabinet also decided to provide a $10 million trade guarantee
to help the sale of pharmaceuticals to the Soviet successor states,
in order to save about 22,000 jobs. (Karoly Okolicsanyi)

LATVIA: KOZYREV'S PROPOSALS UNACCEPTABLE. On 13 August the Latvian
authorities rejected Russian proposals on the pullout of troops
from the Baltic republic. Those proposals were presented by Russian
Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev at his 6 August meeting in Moscow
with his Baltic counterparts. The Latvians said that the proposals
were unacceptable because 1) they link issues that should not
be linked; 2) several points sound like ultimata; and 3) some
points, if implemented, would amount to interference in the internal
affairs of another states. The Latvians also want the issues
to be internationalized, using the CSCE process to resolve them,
BNS and Radio Riga report. (Dzintra Bungs)

RUSSIAN, LATVIAN REPRESENTATIVES DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS. On 13
August a Russian Foreign Ministry delegation, headed by Vyacheslav
Bakhmin, arrived in Riga for a two-day visit to talk with Latvian
government and parliamentary representatives, as well as members
of the Russian community, about the situation of ethnic Russians
in Latvia. Latvia invited the Russians to foster progress on
Russian-Latvian accords, especially the general treaty of cooperation
which still has not been endorsed by the Russian Supreme Soviet,
Radio Riga reports. (Dzintra Bungs)

LITHUANIANS NO LONGER NEED VISAS TO POLAND. On 13 August the
Polish embassy in Vilnius informed the Lithuanian news service
ELTA that starting from 10 August citizens of Lithuania would
no longer require visas to visit Poland for up to 90 days. Lithuanians
wishing to work in Poland will still require visas. Poland's
decision to grant visa-free travel to citizens of the three Baltic
republics from 10 August matched the earlier decisions by Lithuania
and Estonia to allow Polish citizens to visit their republics
without visas. (Saulius Girnius)

WALESA APPEALS TO SOLIDARITY. In an appeal to Solidarity members
and sympathizers issued on 13 August, President Lech Walesa rejected
comparisons between current strikes and the situation that gave
rise to Solidarity in 1980. Polish society, no longer oppressed
by totalitarian rule, should respect decisions made by its democratically
elected representatives. The governed as well as the governing
had responsibilities. The president called on the government
to formulate a clear program of reform, with set deadlines, and
supported the idea of a social contract. One of Solidarity's
strengths, Walesa said, was wise self-limitation; fist-pounding
was not an appropriate tactic. (Louisa Vinton)

POLISH STRIKE ROUNDUP. As the strike committee at the Polska
Miedz copper combine moved to start up production under its own
supervision, Privatization Minister Janusz Lewandowski warned
on 13 August that this could be grounds to declare the strike
illegal. Strikers at the FSM auto plant refused to allow Fiat
representatives to enter the plant and staged a brief blockade
of the management's offices. During a closed-door meeting of
Solidarity's national commission in Gdansk, representatives of
the Network (Solidarity locals from Poland's largest industrial
plants) threatened to form a national strike committee unless
the national leadership undertook to do this itself. The radical
Solidarity '80 union decided in turn to organize a national "strike
action," criticized the policies of "round-table governments,"
and demanded a national referendum to decide the fate of "the
nation's assets." Finally, the postcommunist SDRP party condemned
as "scandalous" the Solidarity elite's treatment of workers and
said that similarities with the August 1980 situation were obvious.
(Louisa Vinton)

ROMANIA'S EXILED KING DENIED VISA. Romania's former King Michael,
who lives in Swiss exile, was denied a visa to visit his country
of origin in mid-August. In a statement broadcast by Radio Bucharest
on 13 August, the government described the timing of Michael's
planned trip as "inopportune," suggesting that it might cause
unrest ahead of the 27 September elections. Earlier this week
the government offered the king a visa for October, but Michael
refused. The king, who had been forced out of the country by
the Communists in 1947, was cheered by big crowds upon his first
homecoming in April. (Dan Ionescu)

SHELLOIL TO EXPLORE IN ROMANIA. On 13 August a subsidiary of
Shell Petroleum International signed an agreement with Romania's
state oil company Rompetrol to explore for new oil and gas sources
in a 6,150 sq km area in northern Transylvania. The contract
provides for transfer of modern technology to Romania and training
of Romanian oil workers. Radio Bucharest said that this was the
thrid concession contract signed by Romania thus far. (Dan Ionescu)