No. 182, 22 September 1992

SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

ISKANDAROV WARNS TAJIK GROUPS TO STOP FIGHTING. On 21 September,
the chairman of Tajikistan's Supreme Soviet, Akbarsho Iskandarov,
issued a warning to the leaders of armed groups that are still
fighting each other in the countryside, ITAR-TASS reported. Iskandarov,
who is the acting president of the country, threatened that if
the fighting does not stop by 24 September, force will be used
to disarm the opposing sides. He did not say what force would
be used--Tajik militiamen have been ordered to stay out of the
fighting and the country has no armed forces of its own--but
in the last week various government and opposition figures have
suggested that a CIS peacekeeping force might not be a bad idea
after all. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.)

KARABAKH UPDATE. The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains unclear,
with Azerbaijani and Karabakh defense officials making contradictory
claims over casualty figures in recent days and control of the
Lachin corridor linking Karabakh with Armenia. Interfax quoted
Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossyan as stating that a ceasefire
in Nagorno-Karabakh would be "a good prerequisite" for a meeting
with his Azerbaijani counterpart Abulfaz Elchibey. Addressing
the UN General Assembly, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati
criticized the Security Council for not sending observers to
monitor Iranian-brokered ceasefire agreements in Karabakh earlier
this year. Velayati said the Karabakh conflict can only be solved
through negotiations, preserving the territorial integrity of
both states involved, according to an RFE-RL correspondent's
report. (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUSSIA CONCERNED AT ABKHAZ CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS. Russian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Rozanov told a press conference
in Moscow on 21 September that Moscow is "most profoundly concerned"
that Abkhazia and Georgia are not complying with the terms of
the 3 September Abkhaz ceasefire agreement, ITAR-TASS reported.
Georgian deputies to the Abkhaz parliament accused the Abkhaz
of "totally ignoring" the ceasefire. Meanwhile Georgian Defense
Minister Tengiz Kitovani extended the curfew in Sukhumi for a
further month and appointed Colonel Gubaz Urashvili as city commandant
to replace Giorgi Gulua. (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL, Inc.)

CONFLICT IN PARLIAMENT. Right-wing factions in the Russian parliament,
organized in the "Russian Unity" bloc, plan to remove President
Boris Yeltsin and his reformist government from power, Western
news agencies reported on 20 September. "Russian Unity" intends
to form a government of national confidence and hold parliamentary
elections next year. The democrats in the parliament prefer to
defend Yeltsin and impeach the conservative parliamentary speaker,
Ruslan Khasbulatov. The Civic Union seeks a centrist role and
opposes the removal of Yeltsin or Khasbulatov. Meanwhile, acting
Prime Minister Egor Gaidar predicted that he would survive an
expected onslaught at the forthcoming session of the parliament.
(Alexander Rahr, RFE/RL, Inc.)

KHASBULATOV ATTACKS GOVERNMENT. The speaker of the Russian parliament,
Ruslan Khasbulatov, attacked the government on the eve of the
opening of parliament. In an interview with Ostankino TV on 21
September, he strongly criticized Deputy Prime Minister for Privatization,
Anatolii Chubais, for "ignoring laws adopted by the parliament."
The liberal deputy Viktor Sheinis has warned of a "personal dictatorship"
by Khasbulatov. He told ITAR-TASS on the same day that Khasbulatov
wants to transform the parliament into a "ministry for adopting
laws." The first deputy speaker, Sergei Filatov, accused Khasbulatov
of creating a new administrative-command system through the parliament,
Radio Rossii reported on 20 September. (Alexander Rahr, RFE/RL,
Inc.)

AVEN, MOZHIN ON YEAR-END ECONOMIC FIGURES. Minister of Foreign
Economic Relations, Petr Aven, and senior negotiator on debt
issues, Alexei Mozhin, told reporters in Washington that Russian
industrial production can be expected to fall 30% by the end
of 1992, according to Western news agencies on 21 September.
The figure represents an accelerated decline from the 13-15%
drop from the period between last June and this June, 21.5% from
July to July, and 27.5% from August 1991 to August 1992. Aven
and Mozhin also said that September's inflation rate in Russia
was 20%, much higher than the 7-8% officially reported for July
and August. Despite the increase, Aven claimed, by year-end a
9% inflation rate was a "realistic figure." (Erik Whitlock, RFE/RL,
Inc.)

GAIDAR CALLS FOR STRICTER FINANCIAL POLICIES. Russian Prime Minister
Egor Gaidar has added some detail to his call last week for tougher
fiscal and monetary policies. According to Interfax on 21 September,
Gaidar said at a conference in Moscow that since April, national
financial policy has been too lax. He devoted particular criticism
to the Central Bank for overly expansionary credit policies,
and to Chairman Viktor Gerashchenko personally for interfering
in strictly governmental affairs. "I would like the Central Bank
president to understand that he is responsible not for investment
policies, nor for socialist economy..., but for monetary and
credit policies," he said. Gaidar reportedly also expressed his
support for requiring Russian exporters to sell all their hard
currency revenues to the state at some fixed exchange rate. (Erik
Whitlock, RFE/RL, Inc.)

GORBACHEV, OTHER LEADERS, TO TESTIFY IN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT.
The Constitutional Court has agreed at last to call former CPSU
leaders to testify at the current hearings that will decide the
legality of President Yeltsin's decree banning banning the activities
of the Communist Party and confiscating its property, Russian
TV newscasts announced on 21 September. The leaders invited to
testify include former CPSU General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev,
former leader of the Russian Communist party, Ivan Polozkov,
former Politburo members Egor Ligachev, Nikolai Ryzhkov and Aleksandr
Yakovlev, and the Director of the KGB and former Minister of
Internal Affairs, Vadim Bakatin. The "Novosti" anchor reminded
the audience of an earlier interview with Mihail Gorbachev, during
which the former General Secretary had declared that he would
never testify at the hearing, even if he were delivered to the
court in handcuffs. (Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL, Inc.)

YELTSIN COULD SUSPEND BUT NOT BAN THE COMMUNIST PARTY, EXPERTS
SAY. Three of the four legal experts who have testified since
the Constitutional Court resumed its hearings on 15 September
(Boris Lazarev, Yurii Eremenko and Aleksei Mitskevich) have agreed
that only the first of the three decrees issued by President
Yeltsin on the Communist Party was justified. The decree, issued
by Yeltsin the day after the attempted coup against Gorbachev
on 23 August 1991, stated that the activities of the Soviet and
Russian Federation's Communist Parties would be suspended until
the court investigated their involvement in the coup. Two other
decrees, dated 25 August and 6 November, 1991 respectively, announced
the confiscation of the party's property and a ban of its organizational
activities. According to the experts, only the Russian Supreme
Court, not the president, who is merely the chief executive in
Russia, is entitled by law to ban public organizations and confiscate
property. (Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL, Inc.)

YELTSIN TO SIGN DECREE ON DEVELOPING DISPUTED ISLANDS. Sakhalin
regional government chief Valentin Fedorov has told a Japanese
newspaper that Russian President Boris Yeltsin intends shortly
to sign a decree promoting the development of the four southern
Kuril islands claimed by Japan. Fyordorov's interview was carried
by the Asahi Shimbun on 21 September, and was reported by UPI.
He told the newspaper that Yeltsin's decree would allow firms
on the islands to dispose independently of their products and
would simplify the procedures for setting up corporations, including
joint ventures, on the islands. On 18 September Nagao Hyodo,
an official of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, warned Russia that
a plan for a Hong Kong firm to develop tourist facilities on
one of the islands was "unacceptable." He also expressed concern
about a reported deal in which an Austrian company would build
a golf course on another of the disputed islands. (Doug Clarke,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

"GORBACHEV" CAR STOLEN. One of the three "Volga" cars of the
Gorbachev Foundation has been stolen, according to "Novosti"
of 20 September. The "Novosti" anchor cited a Moscow police official
as suggesting that the crime must have been an inside job, perpetrated
by a person familiar with the workshift of the Foundation's guards.
(Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL, Inc.)

JOUSTING OVER BLACK SEA FLEET CONTINUES. The press center of
the Ukrainian Navy in Sevastopol said on 21 September that 50
officers from the Higher Naval Academy in that city had taken
the oath of loyalty to Ukraine, bringing the number of officers
that have sworn loyalty to Ukraine to about 50% of the total.
At the Sevastopol naval engineering school, the rate was reported
to be over 60%. The figures were reported by Interfax. It also
reported that Russian and Ukrainian working groups were scheduled
to resume negotiations concerning the fleet on 23 September.
On 18 September, Interfax had said that the talks were scheduled
to reopen on 21 September. (Stephen Foye, RFE/RL, Inc.)

MEETING OF UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS. The foreign
ministers of Ukraine and Russia, Anatolii Zlenko and Andrei Kozyrev,
met in New York on 20 September, ITAR-TASS reported. The two
diplomats exchanged views on world affairs and problems confronting
the current session of the UN General Assembly. Special emphasis
was placed on preparation of the Ukrainian-Russian treaty and
economic relations between the two countries. (Roman Solchanyk,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE (AGAIN) THREATENS TO RESIGN. Having threatened
in late July to resign if Georgian troops used force to quell
armed resistance in Mingrelia by supporters of ousted President
Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Eduard Shevardnadze again stated on 21 September
that he would step down if ongoing violence threatens to jeopardize
the parliamentary elections scheduled for 11 October, according
to Radio Tbilisi. Shots were fired during the night of 21-22
September at the State Council headquarters in Tbilisi but noone
was injured, ITAR-TASS reported. (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL, Inc.)

PONTIC GREEKS FLEEING ABKHAZIA. Ethnic Greeks, of whom there
were 14,664 in Abkhazia at the time of the 1989 census, are fleeing
Abkhazia and other southern regions of the former USSR in whole
families to escape persecution, according to a statement released
in Athens by the Pan-Hellenic Union of Pontic Fugitives and summarized
on 21 September by ITAR-TASS. The homes of many Greeks in Sukhumi
have been attacked by Georgian troops. The Greek government has
so far ignored repeated requests from the refugees for assistance.
Greek emigration from the USSR last year stood at approximately
2,000 per month. (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL, Inc.)

ACTING PREMIER APPOINTED IN TAJIKISTAN. Tajikistan's acting President
Akbarsho Iskandarov has appointed Abdumalik Abdullodzhanov acting
Prime Minister to replace Akbar Mirzoev, who resigned in August,
ITAR-TASS reported on 21 September. Mirzoev was a native of Kulyab
Oblast and a close associate of deposed President Rakhmon Nabiev.
The 43 year old Abdullodzhanov is apparently one of the new Tajik
entrepreneurs--he has been general director of a holding company
called "Non" (Bread). (Bess Brown , RFE/RL, Inc.)

NAZARBAEV IN GERMANY. On 21 September, the first day of his official
visit to Germany, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev told
KazTAG and TASS correspondents that he had met not only with
German President Richard von Weisacker, but had discussed financial
help to German-populated regions of Kazakhstan with Economics
Minister Juergen Moelleman, and technical assistance in reorganizing
Kazakhstan's banking system with the head of the Deutsche Bank.
The bank is interested in investing in extractive industries
in Kazakhstan. An agreement was signed with Siemens to build
medical equipment and telecommunications equipment factories
in Kazakhstan. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUSSIAN-MOLDOVAN TROOP TALKS. The second round of bilateral talks
on the status and terms of withdrawal of Russia's 14th Army from
Moldova, held on 16 and 17 September in Chisinau, "ended without
any results," Interfax reported. Moldovan delegation head and
ambassador to Russia, Petru Lucinschi, told the Moldovan media
that future negotiations will be "lengthy and difficult" and
that the chief gain thus far is Russia's consent to negotiate
at all and recognition that its troops are based in a sovereign
state. Lucinschi indicated that Moldova would agree to a withdrawal
of Russian troops by 1994 but that Russia would not discuss any
dates as yet. President Mircea Snegur assured the Russian delegates
that the Moldovan army would welcome in its ranks officers and
NCOs of the 14th Army after the latter's withdrawal. Snegur also
urged the inclusion of "Dniester" Russian leaders in the talks
since they will eventually have to persuade their people to accept
the Army's withdrawal. (Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUSSIA LINKS WITHDRAWAL T0 ADDITIONAL ISSUES. Russia's ambassador
to Moldova and chief delegate to the troop talks, Vladimir Plechko,
told the Moldovan media on 17 September that the talks are based
on the Yeltsin-Snegur convention of 21 July on settling the conflict
in eastern Moldova and on "other issues pertaining to interstate
relations." The statement confirms earlier indications that Russia
seeks to link an eventual withdrawal of the troops to the Dniester
conflict and other issues and obtain concessions from Moldova
on those issues. Russia also confirmed the decision, taken at
the first round of talks in August, to withdraw a pontoon unit
(nominally a regiment but currently down to battalion strength)
from Bendery on the right bank of the Dniester. (Vladimir Socor,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT REACHES OUT TO GAGAUZ. In a conciliatory gesture
of a kind that has previously been spurned, Moldovan President
Mircea Snegur travelled to Comrat raion to meet with "Gagauz
republic Supreme Soviet Chairman" Mikhail Kendigelyan and with
the chairmen of the Soviets of the three raions in which the
Gagauz form majorities or pluralities of the population, Moldovapres
reported on 18 September. While the agenda of the talks was kept
confidential, Moldova's Presidential Office told a RFR/RL Research
Institute correspondent that Snegur offered the Gagauz administrative-territorial
autonomy in the form of a "national county" within Moldova. The
concept has been under discussion for some time by a special
joint commission of the Moldovan parliament and government. Snegur
invited Gagauz representatives to Chisinau for negotiations on
this basis in the coming days. (Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL, Inc.)


GAGAUZ MILITANTS ERECT "BORDER" AGAINST MOLDOVA. The militant
Gagauz "self-defense detachments" commanded by Ivan Burguji,
which have been armed by ex-Soviet troops stationed nearby, and
which conducted several successful guerrilla attacks on Moldovan
authorities this year, have begun erecting a "border" to separate
the territory of the "Gagauz republic" from Moldova. The armed
detachments guard the "border," illegally subjecting travellers
to checks and searches. Moldova's Presidential Office feels that
the move is an effort to torpedo Snegur's negotiations with the
Gagauz. Although politically marginal among their people, the
"self-defense detachments" have previously frustrated attempts
by Gagauz moderates to reach a compromise with Chisinau. (Vladimir
Socor , RFE/RL, Inc.)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

PANIC AT THE UNITED NATIONS. Western agencies report that Milan
Panic, Prime Minister of the rump Yugoslavia, arrived in New
York on 21 September and met overnight with the foreign ministers
of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. The
meeting, arranged by Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev
at the Russian Mission, heard Panic discuss a new peace proposal.
Panic will be allowed to appeal his country's status to the UN
General Assembly on the 22nd. In accordance with the UNSC recommendation
of the 20th, however, the assembly is expected to vote in favor
of excluding "Yugoslavia." US President Bush addressed the UNGA
on 21 September at the start of its three-week debate on the
crisis in the former Yugoslavia. Bush called for strengthening
UN peacekeeping operations and offered the use of US military
facilities for the training of UN troops. (Charles Trumbull,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

NEW FRAMEWORK FOR BOSNIA PROPOSED. On 21 September Bosnian Foreign
Minister Haris Silajdzic proposed a new constitutional framework
for the republic to the Geneva conference on Yugoslavia. The
plan would preserve Bosnia as a single state but decentralize
some functions to different regions. This is an apparent attempt
to appease Bosnian Serbs, who have called for partition of the
republic along ethnic lines, Western agencies report. Relief
flights have still not been resumed into Sarajevo, where severe
fighting continues. (Charles Trumbull, RFE/RL, Inc.)

NEW CHIEF MUFTI IN BULGARIA. On 19 September Fikri Sali Hasan,
the 29-year-old regional mufti for Kardzhali, was chosen as grand
mufti of Bulgaria, Radio Sofia reports. His appointment was announced
at the conclusion of the National Conference of the Muslim Faithful
in Bulgaria, where 665 representatives of congregations from
throughout the country selected him. Hasan's appointment brings
to an end the conflict between reformers and those who had supported
Nedim Gendzhev, the former grand mufti, who had been appointed
during the communist years. Gendzhev was accused of working for
the state security apparatus and was criticized for his passivity
throughout the late 1980s when the government attempted to force
the Bulgarization of ethnic Turks. (Duncan Perry, RFE/RL, Inc.)


CZECHOSLOVAK FEDERAL ASSEMBLY TO DEBATE BREAKUP. The Czechoslovak
parliament is scheduled to debate a draft law on possible modes
of division of the Czechoslovak federation. The law provides
for four different ways of dissolving the federation, and the
debate will proceed along lines worked out by the two republics'
leaders, Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and his Slovak counterpart,
Vladimir Meciar. It remains highly questionable, however, that
Parliament will approve legislation, which would require the
support of a three-fifths majority. Not only are large groups
among the opposition expected to vote against dissolution, but
individual representatives of the ruling parties are said to
favor a nationwide referendum on the future of Czechoslovakia
rather than having Parliament decide. (Jan Obrman, RFE/RL, Inc.)


REGISTRATION OF SEIMAS CANDIDATES COMPLETED. The deadline for
registering candidates for Lithuania's 25 October Seimas elections
was midnight 20 September. The chairman of the Main Election
Commission Vaclovas Litvinas announced that 8 political parties
and 18 sociopolitical movements have formally registered, Radio
Lithuania reports. There will be more than 800 candidates competing
for the 70 seats distributed proportionally, and more than 400
candidates for the 71 single-mandate seats. Various right-wing
coalitions that signed the "Accord for a Democratic Lithuania"
on 19 September will at times compete against each other in the
single-mandate districts since their component parts have registered
126 candidates. The lists of candidates will be published in
the newspapers on Friday. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.)

ANTALL DEFENDS CSURKA. Hungarian Prime Minister Jozsef Antall
said in a interview with Newsweek that the uproar surrounding
recent allegedly racist and anti-Semitic statements by Istvan
Csurka, one of six vice presidents of the ruling Hungarian Democratic
Forum, has been overblown and it is only a domestic political
issue. Antall also said that he does not believe Csurka is a
Nazi and that the statement Csurka published in late August represents
his own personal opinion. Csurka is a writer, a Hungarian enfant
terrible, "a devilish child in political life who has a fancy
for taking risks," continued Antall. In the same interview, Antall
said that Hungary will do everything possible not to become involved
in the Yugoslav crisis but strongly supports autonomy for Hungarians
living in the Serbian province of Vojvodina. (Karoly Okolicsanyi,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR HUNGARIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICES. Tibor Fuzessy,
minister in charge of intelligence, counterintelligence, and
antiterrorism, said that Hungary is redirecting its attention
to neighboring countries instead of the West, MTI reports. This
is necessary because these countries are vigorously building
up their spy networks in Hungary. Hungarian agents, earlier employed
in the West, are being relocated to the neighboring countries,
Fuzessy said. Also, despite the cleanup in the security agencies,
most staff is left over from the communist past due to the special
nature of the work. New personnel in the agencies will come only
after years or even decades, Fuzessy said. (Karoly Okolicsanyi,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT IN ISRAEL. Arpad Goncz met on 21 September
with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the Hungarian
president's four-day official visit in Israel, MTI reports. At
a joint press conference Goncz stressed that Hungarian Jews now
living in Israel are a most important bond between the two countries
and said that, despite the appearance of some "old and dusty
ideas," no responsible political force in Hungary tolerates anti-Semitic
or racist ideas. Rabin said that Israel is worried about recent
extremist and sometimes anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, from
which Hungary is not exempt, but expressed hope that they are
only the actions of a small minority. Goncz also met with Jerusalem's
mayor, and visited the Holocaust Memorial Park, the Knesset,
and Bethlehem. In the evening Goncz was received at a reception
hosted by Israeli President Chaim Herzog. (Karoly Okolicsanyi,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

ILIESCU QUIZZED ON RADIO BUCHAREST. As part of his campaign for
reelection in the 27 September election, Romanian President Ion
Iliescu was interviewed on Radio Bucharest on 21 September by
four journalists from some of the country's main dailies. Speaking
about his time in office, he described his decision to outlaw
the Romanian Communist Party, taken at an anticommunist meeting
on 12 January 1990, as "a moment of weakness" (the decision was
reversed on the following day). But Iliescu was unrepentant about
his role in the wave of violence from mid-June 1990, claiming
that he had shown "patience, calm, self-control, and emotional
balance." (Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL, Inc.)

STOLOJAN MEDIATES LABOR CONFLICT. On 21 September Romanian Premier
Theodor Stolojan received members of a commission investigating
the labor conflict between the railway trade unions and the board
of directors of Romanian Railways. Four union leaders are currently
on a hunger strike to protest the signing of a collective labor
contract as well as their dismissal after having organized two
strikes in May. The four have refused food for more than one
month and recently announced their decision to refuse liquids
as well; doctors say this may lead to rapid death. The commission
informed Stolojan that the decision of Romanian Railways to dismiss
the union leaders is illegal, but the railway administration
insists it acted in accordance with the law. (Dan Ionescu , RFE/RL,
Inc.)

10,000 SOVIET TROOPS STILL IN POLAND. Polish officials announced
on 10 September that the withdrawal of former Soviet troops is
proceeding according to plan. Some 10,000 soldiers remain, along
with 63 armored carriers, 5,000 other vehicles, 4 transport planes,
and two helicopters. All combat planes and tanks are already
withdrawn. Gen. Zdzislaw Ostrowski, the Polish government's plenipotentiary
for the former Soviet troops, said that most conflicts with the
Russian forces had ended with the departure of Gen. Viktor Dubynin,
now serving as Russian chief of the general staff. Still, the
Russian side is failing to keep Poland informed about the exact
strength of its forces. The biggest problem, Ostrowski noted,
is dealing with the more than 7,000 buildings and bases vacated
by the Russian forces. (Louisa Vinton, RFE/RL, Inc.)

HUNGARIANS REQUESTED TO FILL OUT WEALTH INVENTORIES. The Hungarian
government is instructing taxpayers to fill out a wealth inventory
by 30 November 1992, Nepszabadsag reports. The move was made
to clamp down on widespread tax evasion, a main reason for the
present growing budget deficit. The wealth inventory will not
have direct tax benefits, but rather will serve as a base to
establish increases in incomes in the future and make the work
of the tax authorities easier. (Karoly Okolicsanyi, RFE/RL, Inc.)


LATVIA'S FOREIGN TRADE MINISTER RESIGNS. Latvian Prime Minister
Ivars Godmanis announced on 18 September the resignation of Minister
of Foreign Trade Edgars Zausajevs. The official explanation is
that Zausajevs had taken a new job, although Godmanis did not
say what his new job is, Diena reports. It is not known who will
replace Zausajevs. (Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL, Inc.)

LATVIA'S ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN. Upon his return to Riga
on 17 September, Godmanis reported to the press on his visit
to Taiwan. His delegation focused on economic relations and signed
an accord guaranteeing the protection of foreign investments
in Latvia. Taiwan expressed interest in using Latvian ports to
expand trade in Europe. While Latvia does not expect to upgrade
diplomatic relations with Taiwan, consular relations will be
inaugurated in the near future, BNS reported on 18 September.
(Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL, Inc.)

FOOD PROCESSORS' DEBT TO LATVIAN FARMERS GROWS. According to
data from the Ministry of Agriculture, food processing plants
under state jurisdiction are badly in debt to the farmers who
supply them with milk and meat. On 11 September the debt was
estimated at 1 billion rubles and by 18 September the amount
had grown to 1.3 billion rubles, Diena reports. Minister of Agriculture
Dainis Gegers noted that a credit of 600 million rubles was allocated
to food processing plants early in June so that they could repay
the existing debts and begin prompt payments to the farmers.
Noting that the credit must be repaid by 1 October, Gegers said
he is deeply concerned about the situation and does not rule
out the possibility of calling for the resignation of some plant
directors. (Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL, Inc.)

LATVIAN ELECTRICITY PRICES UP IN OCTOBER. On 11 September the
government decided to raise prices on electricity in mid-October,
largely due to demands by countries exporting energy to Latvia
for payment in hard currency. Prime Minister Godmanis said that
Latvia will have to pay 120 million German marks a year to Estonia
for imported electricity. He noted that the economic crisis is
likely to worsen, since many enterprises are already unable to
pay for their energy needs, BNS reported on 14 September. (Dzintra
Bungs , RFE/RL, Inc.)

LITHUANIAN ECONOMIC STATISTICS. On 21 September Radio Lithuania
reported a Statistical Department announcement that for January-August
1992 sales of industrial production decreased by about 45% from
the previous year, resulting in losses of about 127 billion rubles.
The average monthly wage in August 1992 as compared with the
same period in 1991, however, increased more than ninefold to
7,668 rubles with the greatest increase (512 rubles) occurring
in the last month. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.)