No. 171, 07 September 1992

SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

FIGHTING CONTINUES DESPITE ABKHAZ CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT. Fifteen
people were killed during the night of 5-6 September in ongoing
fighting between Georgian and Abkhaz troops near Gudauta and
Gagra despite the cease-fire agreement that had been scheduled
to take effect at midday local time on 5 September, Western agencies
reported. Georgian Prime Minister Tengiz Sigua met with Abkhaz
troop commander Colonel Viktor Kakalia and other Abkhaz officials
in Sukhumi on 6 September, and signed a protocol on implementing
the ceasefire agreement, ITAR-TASS reported. On 5 September,
UN Secretary-General Boutros Ghali announced in Moscow that the
UN will send observers to monitor the ceasefire agreement in
Abkhazia, Interfax reported. (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL Inc.)

TAJIK OPPOSITION UNABLE TO DISLODGE NABIEV. Tajikistan's Supreme
Soviet was unable to muster a quorum on 4 or 5 September for
a special session to decide the future of President Rakhmon Nabiev,
who was declared deposed by the Supreme Soviet Presidium and
Cabinet of Ministers on 2 September. Another attempt to open
the session was scheduled for 7 September. Nabiev remained in
hiding over the weekend, but correspondents and government officials
who spoke to him said that he still considered himself president.
According to one Western press report, Nabiev blamed Tajikistan's
highest-ranking Muslim clergyman, Kazi Akbar Turadzhonzoda, for
the recent unrest, and accused him of planning a coup to replace
the present government with an Islamic one. The kazi has denied
such charges in the past. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL Inc.)

"HUNDREDS" REPORTED KILLED IN FIGHTING IN SOUTHERN TAJIKISTAN.
The deputy commander of CIS border troops in Tajikistan, Colonel
Valerii Kochinov, was quoted by ITAR-TASS and Western agencies
on 5 September as reporting that several hundred people had been
killed in fighting in the town of Kurgan-Tyube between opponents
of President Nabiev and Nabiev supporters who apparently came
from neighboring Kulyab Oblast. Nabiev himself, still in hiding,
declared a state of emergency in Kurgan-Tyube. Tajik Radio reports
gave a figure of 30 dead, but Kochinov said this included only
the dead who had been identified. ITAR-TASS reported on 6 September
that Kurgan-Tyube was quiet. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL Inc.)

HOSTAGE FOUND DEAD. The deputy chairman of the Kulyab oblast
soviet, Sasiddin Sangov, was found dead near Dushanbe on 4 September,
but anti-Nabiev forces say they had nothing to do with the killing,
ITAR-TASS and Western agencies reported on 6 September. Sangov
was reported to have been one of the officials taken hostage
by opposition demonstrators last week. The hostages were freed
on 3 September, and opposition parliamentary deputy Mohammed
Dost said that Sangov had been freed with the others, but had
fallen into the hands of refugees from Kulyab Oblast, which has
been the scene of intermittent fighting between pro- and anti-Nabiev
forces since June. On 5 September, ITAR-TASS reported that news
of the murder was aggravating the situation in the town of Kulyab,
where several thousand people had been demonstrating for two
days. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL Inc.)

RUSSIAN OFFICIALS ON PRICE INCREASES. Russian Economics Minister
Andrei Nechaev told Interfax on 4 September that the government
hopes to limit price increases for consumer goods and especially
foodstuffs to around 1%-1.5% a week. Nechaev cited the expected
steep rise in energy costs and higher grain purchase prices as
factors stimulating overall price increases. Acting Prime Minister
Egor Gaidar, in an interview with Komsomolskaya pravda on 5 September,
ruled out raising fuel prices to world levels in one leap as
in Poland and Czechoslovakia, because "the economy will not be
able to cope." The deputy chairman of the Russian parliament
told Interfax on 4 September that local authorities have enough
authority gradually to increase fuel prices and are doing so.
(Keith Bush, RFE/RL Inc.)

RUSSIA TO SUPPORT RUBLE WITH WORLD BANK FUNDS? Konstantin Kagalovsky,
a senior government official negotiating with international financial
agencies, reportedly told Interfax on 4 September that Russia
would support the ruble with $250 million of World Bank credit.
Kagalovsky said that the central bank would use the money in
currency operations on the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange.
It was not clear whether Kagalovsky was referring to funds already
approved by the World Bank. Nor was the World Bank's position
on the action mentioned. The ruble has fallen in value over 20%
against the dollar over the last two weeks and many expect further
devaluation without significant central bank intervention. (Erik
Whitlock, RFE/RL Inc.)

PHILIP MORRIS TO BUILD CIGARETTE FACTORY NEAR VYBORG. Philip
Morris International announced on 4 September that it will build
a factory near Vyborg capable of producing 10 billion cigarettes
a year, Western agencies reported. The factory should be completed
in 1993. The governor of the Leningrad oblast was quoted as conceding
that smoking was unhealthy, but he suggested that Philip Morris
cigarettes were much safer than Russian brands. The announcement
follows widespread reports of shortfalls in domestic cigarette
production. Radio Moscow on 18 July put the annual demand at
over 240 billion cigarettes and the annual domestic capacity
at only 100 billion. Seventeen out of twenty-our cigarette factories
were then being repaired, and there was little hard currency
available for imports. (Keith Bush, RFE/RL Inc.)

NUCLEAR SAFETY IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND RUSSIA. In a series
of articles in The Los Angeles Times of 5 September, John-Thor
Dahlburg provides a comprehensive and devastating picture of
past negligence by Soviet authorities of minimum safety standards
with respect to nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Citing Western
and CIS specialists, Dahlburg portrays the lethal legacy of official
high-handedness and unconcern and, disturbingly, a continued
penchant for secrecy over nuclear wastes that present a major
hazard to the well-being of millions of CIS citizens and those
of neighboring countries. (Keith Bush, RFE/RL Inc.)

RUSSIAN COMPUTER COUNTER-ESPIONAGE CHIEF RENOUNCES "MOSCOW NEWS"
REPORT. The chairman of the State Commission for Countermeasures
against Technical Intelligence, Nikolai Brusnitsyn, said he was
surprised by the Moscow News report about American electronic
"bugs" in VAX computers bought by a Russian defense sector ministry,
according to Komsomolskaya Pravda on 28 August (See RFE/RL Daily
Report, 2 September). Significantly, the Russian language article
appeared neither in the English nor in the German editions of
Moscow News. (This suggests that security officials in Moscow
still consider Russian audiences worthy targets for old fashioned
manipulation, whereas they are now reluctant to produce the same
stories for Western consumption.) Lt. Gen. Brusnitsyn added that
the alleged incident occurred three years ago, and that the screening
of all imported computers is now so thorough that the danger
of such built-in "bugs" reaching their destinations in Russia
undetected is negligible. (Victor Yasmann, RFE/RL Inc.)

PRIMAKOV ARGUES FOR RUSSIAN CONTROL OF CENTRAL ASIAN BORDERS.
The Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Evgenii
Primakov, has declared that "Russia has no interest in leaving
its borders open so that they can be crossed by gangs carrying
weapons and drugs," Interfax reported on 5 September. Primakov
was commenting on the recent decision to transfer the control
of Tajikistan's borders to Russian authorities. Primakov added
that this temporary measure is necessary, because the Central
Asian states "are not able to guard their own borders." Primakov
also said that a speaker of parliament in an unnamed Baltic state
has spoken about the possibility of cooperating with and providing
a base "to secret services which will work against Russia in
his state." Primakov stressed that "if this occurs, we shall
be forced to take countermeasures." (Victor Yasmann, RFE/RL Inc.)


UKRAINIAN-RUSSIAN TREATY IN OCTOBER. Ukrainian President Leonid
Kravchuk told a group of Japanese journalists in Kiev that Ukraine
is ready to sign a treaty of friendship and cooperation with
Russia at the end of October, ITAR-TASS reported on 5 September.
Kravchuk also expressed the view that after solving its political
and economic problems, the CIS would become a purely economic
association similar to the EC. The CIS, he remarked, was originally
conceived as a temporary structure for the peaceful transformation
of the USSR. (Roman Solchanyk, RFE/RL Inc.)

UKRAINE WANTS IMF MONEY FOR CURRENCY SUPPORT. Ukrainian government
officials have announced that a currency stabilization fund will
be an important component of future IMF assistance. The government,
however, seems as yet unsure about how much money will be necessary
for such an effort. Finance Minister Hryhoriy Pyatachenko said
that the nation will need $1.5 billion to support its currency,
Western news agencies reported on 4 September. A day later, Ukrainian
Prime Minister Vitold Fokin claimed that Ukraine was seeking
a stabilization fund of $6 to $6.5 billion, according to the
Financial Times on 5 September. (Erik Whitlock, RFE/RL Inc.)


AZERBAIJAN'S GOLD RESERVES. In an interview in the 6 September
issue of the newspaper Azadlyg, as summarized by ITAR-TASS, the
chairman of Azerbaijan's State Committee for Geology and Mineral
Resources, Ekrem Shekinsky, claimed that Azerbaijan's gold reserves
exceeded those of Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Algeria, Germany and
Great Britain combined. Although in the past many of Azerbaijan's
numerous gold deposits were declared unviable, the exploitation
of only four of them would yield approximately 4 tons of gold
per year. (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL Inc.)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

BOSNIA UPDATE. Radio Bosnia-Herzegovina reports on 5 September
that the current cold spell has dramatically changed the situation
in Sarajevo. The city is without water and electricity and, because
of the suspension of UN relief flights, food supplies are depleted.
Aid will continue to arrive by land, however. A UN relief supply
warehouse in Sarajevo was destroyed by mortar fire. Widespread
fighting in the republic was reported, particularly in Jajce.
On 6 September Radio Croatia quoted Pope John Paul as saying
the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina brings to mind images of
World War II. Also on the 6th, international mediators Cyrus
Vance and Lord Owen in Geneva gave Bosnian Serb leader Radovan
Karadzic a deadline by which he is to place his army's heavy
weapons around four key cities under UN control by 12 September;
they did not specify what the consequences would be for failure
to comply. Meanwhile UN investigators say it may be weeks or
months before the cause of the crash on 3 September near Sarajevo
of an Italian plane carrying relief supplies is determined. Initial
reports suggest the plane was downed by two portable heat-guided
surface-to-air missiles. (Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL Inc.)

CROATIAN FORCES THREATEN BOSNIAN MUSLIMS. The Sarajevo commander
of the Croatian Defense Forces (HVO) told reporters on 6 September
that he has received orders from Mate Boban, president of the
self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna, to stop helping
Bosnia's Muslim-dominated armed forces try to break the Serb
ring around Sarajevo. HVO commander Velimir Maric detailed allegedly
systematic attacks by the Muslim forces on HVO headquarters and
positions in the suburb of Stup. Six HVO members have been killed
and 60 Croatian houses razed in fighting since mid-August and
members of Bosnia's military police have reportedly looted property.
Maric said that he was instructed by HVO's main headquarters
in Mostar to deliver an ultimatum to the Bosnian armed forces
to withdraw from six previously held Croat districts by 6:00
a.m. on 6 September or "it could result in war." Maric also called
for the partition of the republic into separate Croat, Muslim
and Serb zones, adding there is no such nationality as "Bosnian."
At a separate news conference, Bosnia's army commander Mustafa
Hajrulahovic rejected Maric's statement on partition but did
not respond to the ultimatum. Radio Bosnia-Herzegovina carried
the report. (Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL Inc.)

EC OBSERVERS ARRIVE IN HUNGARY. A five-member EC observer delegation
arrived on 3 September in Szeged near the Yugoslav border, MTI
reports. The delegation discussed the technical aspects of the
establishment of a center in Szeged for twenty to thirty EC observers
who will regularly monitor the Hungarian-Yugoslav border and
whose arrival is expected within one month. (Alfred Reisch, RFE/RL
Inc.)

PANIC RIDES OUT NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE. On 4 September, Milan Panic,
prime minister of the rump Yugoslavia, easily survived a vote
of no-confidence in the Chamber of Citizens, the lower house
of the Federal Assembly. The vote was 66 to 30 with 7 abstaining.
Both houses of the assembly also endorsed Panic's work at the
London conference by a vote of 111 to 33. Radio Serbia carried
the report. (Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL Inc.)

MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT CONFIRMED. On 4 September the Parliament
of the Republic of Macedonia elected Branko Crvenkovski, chairman
of the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (former communists),
as prime minister. Crvenkovski's government has the same number
of ministers as the previous government, except there is now
no Ministry of Information. Two deputy prime ministers, Becir
Zuta, an ethnic Albanian, and Jovan Andonov, as well as the ministers
of foreign relations, internal affairs, labor and social affairs,
and education, and one of the ministers without portfolio, served
in the previous government. Crvenkovski identified his government's
priorities as preserving peace and stability in Macedonia, gaining
international recognition of the republic, and the introduction
of market-oriented reforms. Radio Macedonia carried the report.
(Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL Inc.)

ZHIVKOV GUILTY OF EMBEZZLEMENT. Todor Zhivkov, former chief of
the Bulgarian Communist Party and chairman of the Politburo,
who ran Bulgaria for much of the 45 years it was under communist
rule, was found guilty of embezzlement in a Sofia court on 4
September, BTA and Western agencies report. The trial lasted
18 months. Zhivkov was tried for using 21.5 million leva (about
$24 million at the then current rate) of government funds to
buy automobiles and apartments for associates and family. He
will begin his jail sentence immediately but is appealing the
verdict. Charges of promoting terrorism, sanctioning the forced
assimilation of ethnic Turks, responsibility for labor camps,
and generally ruining the state economy are pending. Zhivkov
turned 81 on 7 September. (Duncan M. Perry, RFE/RL Inc.)

ILIESCU BARRED FROM RUNNING FOR THE SENATE. Following a suit
filed by the Democratic Convention against President Ion Iliescu's
candidacy, the Bucharest Municipal Tribunal has barred him from
running for a Senate seat on the slate of the Democratic National
Salvation Front (DNSF), Western agencies report from Bucharest.
The court said the law does not allow independents to be on the
lists of parties running in the elections, and Iliescu could
not be a member of the DNSF because the law prohibits the president
from being a member of a political party. The decision was made
by a majority vote of two judges to one. The ruling does not
affect Iliescu's presidential candidacy. The DNSF said it will
appeal. (Michael Shafir, RFE/RL Inc.).

BISHOP TOKES'S PROTEST FAST. In an open letter addressed to Iliescu
on 6 September, Bishop Laszlo Tokes said that he would agree
to meet him, Radio Bucharest reports. Tokes thus reversed an
earlier refusal to meet Iliescu. A spokesman for the bishop said
on 5 September that six more people had joined his protest fast--four
ethnic Romanians plus the former mayor of Cluj, Octavian Buracu.
On 6 September, the Democratic Convention urged Tokes to give
up his protest fast, Radio Bucharest reported. While expressing
support for Tokes's aims, the convention cautioned that it is
vital not to create "any pretext that could be used by the enemies
of democracy to create diversion." Tokes celebrated Sunday services
at a church in Timisoara attended by a crowd of some 1,000 people,
Reuters reports. (Michael Shafir, RFE/RL Inc.)

SEJM DEBATES DECOMMUNIZATION. In a close vote the Sejm opted
on 5 September to continue work on six different draft bills
that would govern lustration in Poland. The drafts, submitted
by the Senate and five different parties, range in stringency.
The harshest would ban former communist party activists from
holding public office, while the most lenient would bar only
former secret police collaborators. All of the drafts include
provisions for appeal by those affected. The postcommunist Democratic
Left protested that the bills were aimed at eliminating the left
wing from politics rather than achieving justice, but the Sejm
rejected a Democratic Left motion to throw out all the drafts.
(Louisa Vinton, RFE/RL Inc.)

POLISH LABOR SCENE STILL UNSETTLED. The sit-down strike in the
Rozbark coal mine ended early on 6 September, with the signing
of an agreement with the industry ministry. The terms of the
agreement were not disclosed. The strike by some 3,000 workers
continued at the FSM auto plant in Tychy, where management has
ruled out further talks with strikers as pointless. Announcements
appeared in the local press informing strikers that their dismissal
was imminent. The FSM strikers appealed to President Lech Walesa
for help, but the president made any intervention conditional
upon the ending of the strike. Meanwhile, the Network (comprising
Solidarity locals at Poland's largest industrial plants) appealed
to all Solidarity members to take part in a two-hour warning
strike on 10 September. Solidarity leader Marian Krzaklewski
distanced himself from Network's "autonomous" protest. (Louisa
Vinton, RFE/RL Inc.)

ADVANCE VOTING BEGINS IN ESTONIA, RUSSIAN CITIZENS PROTEST. As
advance voting for Estonia's parliamentary election got underway
on 5 September, a group of noncitizens in Narva launched a campaign
to protest the fact that they have been left without the vote,
BNS reports. The group, calling itself the Union of Russian Citizens
in Narva, has taken to wearing blue-on-blue badges until the
20 September election to protest the fact that Russian citizens
will not be allowed to vote in Estonia's national elections.
By the terms of the new Estonian constitution, noncitizens are
allowed to vote in local elections, but only citizens may participate
in national polling. (Riina Kionka, RFE/RL Inc.)

LATVIAN PARLIAMENT FACTIONS TO REREGISTER. The Supreme Council
Presidium has approved a resolution calling on all deputies who
are members of a parliamentary faction to announce their affiliation
by 20 September. The decision was prompted by changes in the
membership of the Supreme Council and political realignments
of the deputies. It is possible that the Ravnopravie faction,
which supported the integrity of the USSR and opposed Latvia's
independence, may lose its status as an official faction if its
membership has dropped below 20, the minimum for a parliamentary
faction, BNS reports. Other factions may come into existence,
joining the People's Front and Satversme groupings. (Dzintra
Bungs, RFE/RL Inc.)

LITHUANIAN PARTY CONGRESSES FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS. On 5-6
September the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party and Liberal
Union held congresses that approved programs and their lists
of candidates for the parliamentary elections, the RFE/RL Lithuanian
Service reports. The Social Democratic Party list includes eight
current deputies headed by party chairman Aloyzas Sakalas and
former chairman Kazimieras Antanavicius. The Liberal Union formed
an election coalition with the Peasants' Union and approved a
list of 46 candidates (31 from the Liberal Union and 15 from
the Peasants' Union). The list includes four current deputies
as well as the unions' chairmen Vytautas Radzvilas and Petras
Becius. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.)

SLOVAK PREMIER ON RELATIONS WITH HUNGARY. Speaking on Slovak
Radio on 4 September, Vladimir Meciar said that some of the recent
actions by ethnic Hungarian deputies could adversely influence
his talks with Hungarian leaders on 9 September. (Hungarian deputies
have severely criticized the new Slovak constitution for what
they see as its insufficient protection of minority rights. On
1 September they walked out before the vote on the constitution
in the Slovak parliament.) Meciar argued that the Magyar deputies
do not represent members of all ethnic minorities in Slovakia.
He said that Hungary is currently trying to conclude bilateral
agreements with various countries on the treatment of ethnic
minorities, but that it usually is more concerned about the treatment
of ethnic minorities in other countries than on its own territory.
(Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.)

CZECHOSLOVAK DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS HUNGARY. Lt. Gen. Imrich
Andrejcak made a one-day visit to Hungary at the invitation of
his Hungarian counterpart Lajos Fur, MTI announced on 4 September.
The two ministers discussed the status of the military after
the breakup of Czechoslovakia and future military cooperation
among the members of the Visegrad Three--soon to be four--with
Andrejcak stressing the need for good bilateral military cooperation
with both Hungary and Poland. Fur announced that the Visegrad
Three's defense ministers will meet in September on Czech territory.
(Alfred Reisch, RFE/RL Inc.)

ROMANIAN MILITARY DELEGATIONS IN HUNGARY, BULGARIA. A Romanian
military delegation led by 4th Army commander Col. Gen. Paul
Cheler arrived on 3 September at the Hungarian Army's ground
forces headquarters in Szekesfehervar, MTI announced. During
the visit, held within the framework of the two countries' bilateral
military cooperation agreement, the Romanian delegation will
look at a number of military installations and units in eastern
Hungary and hold talks on 7 September with the commander of the
Hungarian Army. On 6 September Romanian State Secretary and Chief
of General Staff Lt. Gen. Dumitru Cioflina ended a three-day
visit to Bulgaria, BTA reports. Cioflina had discussions on military
reform with Deputy Premier Nikola Vasilev, Deputy Defense Minister
Nikola Daskalov, and the Bulgarian Chief of General Staff Col.
Gen. Lyuben Petrov. Before leaving on Sunday, Cioflina told reporters
a planned agreement between the defense ministries would lay
a solid basis for the further development of bilateral military
relations. (Alfred Reisch & Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL Inc.)

TURKISH MINISTER IN SOFIA. In connection with a session of the
Bulgarian-Turkish Committee on Economic, Scientific, and Technological
Cooperation, Turkish Minister of State Orhan Kilercioglu spent
3-4 September in the Bulgarian capital, BTA reported. Kilercioglu
met with Bulgarian Premier Filip Dimitrov to discuss the problems
of returning Bulgarian Turks (forced to emigrate in 1989) and
the crisis in ex-Yugoslavia. Together with Bulgarian Transport
Minister Aleksandar Aleksandrov Kilercioglu signed a protocol
on bilateral trade, transport and telecommunications. Other accords--on
promoting investments and avoiding double taxation--are to be
signed before 1993. (Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL Inc.)

BELGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN HUNGARY. According to a 4 September
MTI report, Willy Claes will start official talks on 7 September
with Hungarian President Arpad Goncz, Prime Minister Jozsef Antall,
Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenszky, International Economic Relations
Minister Bela Kadar, and chairman of the Hungarian National Bank
Akos Peter Bod. Bilateral relations and Hungary's international
integration efforts are expected to dominate the discussions.
Claes is considered to be among those Western politicians who
believe that the Visegrad Three--Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia--should
join the European Community as soon as possible. (Judith Pataki,
RFE/RL Inc.)

LANDSBERGIS IN SPAIN. On 5 September parliament chairman Vytautas
Landsbergis flew to Seville to host the Lithuanian Day ceremonies
at Expo 92 on the 6th, Radio Lithuania reports. He will return
to Lithuania on the 7th and travel to Moscow for a meeting with
Russian President Boris Yeltsin on 8 September. (Saulius Girnius,
RFE/RL Inc.)

GORBUNOVS: TROOP WITHDRAWAL SHOULD BE DISCUSSED SEPARATELY. In
an interview aired by Ekho Moskvy on 4 September, Latvian Supreme
Council Chairman Anatolijs Gorbunovs said that the withdrawal
of Russian troops from the Baltic States should be discussed
separately from other issues of bilateral relations to avoid
giving the impression that Russia is using the presence of its
troops in the Baltic for resolving bilateral issues. Gorbunovs
also expressed readiness to discuss the possibility of allowing
Russia to maintain certain strategically important military facilities
in Latvia for some time after the withdrawal of the main contingent
of Russian troops, BNS reports. (Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL Inc.)


GUIDELINES FOR RETURNING MILITARY SITES TO LATVIA DISCUSSED.
On 4 September Latvian officials met with the leaders of the
Northwestern Group of Forces to discuss guidelines for turning
over military facilities to Latvia. The NWGF agreed to transfer
9 military "villages" (gorodok in Russian) this year but said
that military schools would be handed over next year, Radio Riga
and BNS report. The NWGF also expressed readiness vacate its
political administration building in the center of Riga so that
the building could be offered for use as Russian embassy in Riga.
The two sides also agreed that private businesses functioning
in army territory will be banned unless their activities had
been coordinated with the Latvian authorities. On 3 September
Radio Riga reported that Russian recruits continue to be sent
for military service in Latvia, contrary to Moscow's promises
to stop replenishing its forces in Latvia. (Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL
Inc.)

WILL RUSSIANS GET EX-SOVIET EMBASSY IN RIGA? According to Radio
Riga of 3 and 4 September, the Latvian Foreign Ministry informed
its Russian counterpart of the recommendation by the Supreme
Council Presidium not to hand over the former USSR embassy in
Riga to Russia. The building, which served as the Soviet embassy
in the interwar period, was recently renovated and houses the
Ministry of Culture. The embassy had planned to start its work
in Riga on 1 October. Both Latvian Minister of State Janis Dinevics
and Minister of Foreign Affairs Janis Jurkans said that the unresolved
question of the Russian embassy could complicate Riga's relations
with Moscow. (Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL Inc.)

IGNALINA ATOMIC POWER PLANT HALTED. On 5 September the second
reactor at the atomic power plant at Ignalina was stopped when
an impulse pipe in the feeding unit of the steam separator broke
down, Radio Lithuania reports. There was no escape or leakage
of radioactive substances and no danger to plant personnel. The
accident stopped the plant, since the first reactor is also shut
down for maintenance. The repair of the second reactor should
be completed by 8 September. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.)

HUNGARIAN FOREIGN TRADE FIGURES. According to data released by
the Ministry of International Economic Relations, Hungary's foreign
trade for the first seven months of 1992 showed a deficit to
$60 million, which is $1.3 billion less than the deficit for
the same period last year, MTI reported on 6 September. Exports
rose by 14.1% to a value of $5.9 billion and imports fell by
8.8% to a value of $5.9 billion. Some 70% of the exports went
to advanced industrial countries (with the EC accounting for
50% and Germany alone for 27%), 25% to the former socialist countries,
and 5% to developing countries. During the same period, imports
from developing countries dropped by 60%. After deduction of
nonpayment items such as leasing and wages, Hungary's foreign
trade achieved a surplus of $152.5 million. (Alfred Reisch, RFE/RL
Inc.)



[As of 1200 CET] Compiled by Hal Kosiba & Charles Trumbull