No. 210, 30 October 1992

SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

YELTSIN HALTS BALTIC WITHDRAWAL. President Boris Yeltsin on 29
October signed a decree halting all Russian troop withdrawals
from the Baltic states. Yeltsin tied the move to the need to
provide "social guarantees" for troops in the Baltic states and
to difficulties the Russian government is experiencing in its
efforts to provide housing for the withdrawn forces. He ordered
the Russian government to draft temporary withdrawal agreements
within three days time for presentation to the Baltic states.
Yeltsin also tied the fulfilment of Russian trade agreements
with the Baltic states to the resolution of the withdrawal dispute.
The "protection of minority rights" of Russians in the Baltic
states was also implicitly tied to the decision, although Yeltsin
apparently did not make resolution of this issue a condition
for the withdrawal. The decision was reported by Interfax and
ITAR-TASS on 30 October. (John Lepingwell, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUSSIA TO TAKE RUSSIAN MINORITY RIGHTS ISSUE TO UN. Russia will
raise the issue of protection of Russian minority rights in the
Baltic states in the UN, Interfax and ITAR-TASS reported on 30
October. President Yeltsin called for the Foreign Ministry to
draft an appeal to the UN at the same time that he announced
the cancellation of troop withdrawals from the Baltic states.
On 8 October, in a meeting with workers at Ostankino TV, Yeltsin
suggested making a Russian troop withdrawal conditional on the
Baltic states guaranteeing minority rights for their Russian
inhabitants. The new Russian position on these issues appears
to be the first manifestation of the new tougher foreign policy
Yeltsin called for in a speech to the Foreign Ministry on 27
October. For their part, the Baltic states have repeatedly asked
the UN to send fact-finding missions to their countries to look
for alleged human rights abuses; the first such mission arrived
in Latvia two days ago. (John Lepingwell, RFE/RL, Inc.)

STATUS OF RUSSIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM THE BALTIC STATES. Yeltsin's
decree halting the Russian pullout from the Baltic states follows
a Defense Ministry announcement on 20 October that the withdrawal
of forces which lacked housing in Russia would be suspended.
At the time, however, the Defense Ministry claimed that the overall
withdrawal plan would proceed, with all forces to be withdrawn
by the end of 1994. Estimates of Russian forces in the Baltic
states vary, but the US State Department estimates that 40% of
the 130,000 troops originally stationed there have been withdrawn.
An additional 25,000 were to have been withdrawn by the end of
1993. Russia has concluded a preliminary agreement with Lithuania
on troop withdrawals; however, the process of codifying it as
a formal treaty has apparently stalled because of Russian misgivings.
(John Lepingwell, RFE/RL, Inc.)

FRONT VOWS TO RESIST YELTSIN. Members of the now prohibited National
Salvation Front said that President Boris Yeltsin's ban of their
organization was unconstitutional and that they will therefore
ignore the decree, ITAR-TASS reported on 29 October. Western
agencies reported a Front leader urging supporters to "go to
the factories, garrisons and the streets...Defend our dying and
humiliated Russia." State Secretary Gennadii Burbulis said the
Russian leadership was considering the introduction of emergency
rule in order to fight "revanchists." According to Radio Rossii
on the same day, Burbulis referred to "centrists", apparently
meaning the Civic Union, as part of the revanchist opposition.
(Alexander Rahr, RFE/RL, Inc.)

COMMENTS ON POSSIBILITY OF PRESIDENTIAL RULE. Acting Prime Minister
Egor Gaidar and his deputy, Aleksandr Shokhin were quoted by
ITAR-TASS on 29 October as saying that President Boris Yeltsin
will not introduce emergency rule in the country, although many
of his advisors were urging him to take that step. Members of
the "Democratic Center" faction, which is part of the Civic Union
coalition, said that presidential rule can successfully be introduced
only in Moscow, and not in other parts of Russia. The Russian
Movement of Democratic Reform, which supports presidential rule,
called for the immediate adoption of a transitional constitution
which would regulate politics in Russia before a new constitution
could be worked out. (Alexander Rahr, RFE/RL, Inc.)

YELTSIN PREPARED TO COOPERATE WITH CIVIC UNION. Russian President
Boris Yeltsin told Argumenty i fakty (no. 42) that he is drafting
a major document on the future statehood of Russia and that he
wants to hold a referendum on the constitution and on land ownership
next spring. Yeltsin also noted that he is prepared to cooperate
with the Civic Union "as soon as it works out a constructive
economic program." The leader of the Civic Union, Arkadii Volsky,
was quoted in The Financial Times on 29 October as saying that
Yeltsin should make changes in his administration and replace
acting Prime Minister Egor Gaidar, because the latter lacks appropriate
authority. Volsky added that the Civic Union would go into opposition
if Yeltsin does not meet it demands. (Alexander Rahr, RFE/RL,
Inc.)

RUSSIA CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON KURIL NEGOTIATIONS. The Russian
government on 29 October called for a one to two year moratorium
on discussions with Japan over the disputed Kuril islands. According
to Interfax and Reuters reports on 30 October, presidential spokesman
Vyacheslav Kostikov called for the moratorium because of "intensifying
emotions" concerning the issue on both sides. Kostikov also suggested
that Japan's agreement to the moratorium would help facilitate
planning for Yeltsin's postponed visit to Japan. The move apparently
came after Japan announced a new $100 million aid package to
the CIS, with an emphasis on the Russian Far East. Japan recently
lodged a strong protest over a Russian government proposal to
develop the Kuril islands as part of a Sakhalin special economic
zone. (John Lepingwell, RFE/RL, Inc.)

PARLIAMENTARY GUARD INITIALLY REFUSED TO DISARM. The parliamentary
guard, banned by a presidential decree, resisted its takeover
by interior ministry authorities, and the head of the guard,
Ivan Boyko, had to be summoned to the Izvestiya building to disarm
his men, Izvestiya reported on 29 October. The paper also revealed
that some time ago, when Yeltsin ordered Ministry of Interior
security forces to replace parliamentary guard units posted around
the constitutional court, Boyko ordered his men to use force
to protect their positions at Staraya ploshchad. Boyko reportedly
only relented when the special KGB unit Alfa was deployed. (Alexander
Rahr, RFE/RL, Inc.)

TENTATIVE APPROVAL FOR RUSSIA'S 1993 BUDGET. The Russian government
on 29 October approved "on the whole" the draft budget for 1993,
ITAR-TASS and Interfax reported. It was not immediately clear
in which prices the absolute figures were given--they seemed
to be second-quarter prices--but the highlights were the budget
deficit and defense allocations. The budget deficit, calculated
according to the IMF guidelines, was said to be 10% of GNP during
the first nine months of 1992 and it could rise to 15% of GNP
by the end of the year. The deficit for 1993 is projected at
6-7% of GNP. Defense expenditure in 1993 is to represent 15.3%
of the budget, against 16% in 1992. (Keith Bush, RFE/RL, Inc.)


RUSSIAN EXPORTS "STABLE." Acting Prime Minister Egor Gaidar said
that Russian exports have stabilized at $3 billion a month since
May and should be able to maintain that level, ITAR-TASS reported
on 28 October. Gaidar claimed this as one of the government's
main achievements in its economic reform program. In a related
issue, the 28 October issue of The Journal of Commerce quotes
two US Department of Energy officials as saying that Russian
oil exports are substantially under-reported. Off-the-books export
transactions may exceed one million barrels per day on occasions.
(Keith Bush, RFE/RL, Inc.)

GOSKOMSTAT RELEASES THIRD QUARTER RESULTS. Figures released by
the Russian State Statistical Committee (Goskomstat), and summarized
by ITAR-TASS on 29 October, show accelerating production decline
and inflation. Russian industrial production fell 17.6% in the
first nine months of this year alone (as compared to the 13%
fall over the twelve month period between mid-year 1991 and mid-year
1992). Consumer prices have increased by 1210% since December
of last year. Although wages over the same period rose only 560%,
the report noted that in recent months they have grown almost
as fast as retail prices. Moreover, Goskomstat confirmed that
the fiscal and monetary austerity of the first half of the year
ended in the third quarter as state financial support for the
agro-industrial complex, conversion and social programs significantly
increased. (Erik Whitlock, RFE/RL, Inc.)

GOSKOMSTAT GIVES LATEST FIGURES ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY.
Goskomstat also reported that there were 367,500 unemployed registered
with the state employment service on 1 October, according to
an ITAR-TASS report on 29 October. This is approximately five
times higher than the 69,000 registered at the beginning of the
year, but implies an unemployment rate of less than 1%. However,
there are currently other forms of hidden unemployment, such
as the widespread practice of putting workers on extended unpaid
leave, or on reduced working hours. According to the ITAR-TASS
report, about two million industrial workers were affected by
this type of unregistered unemployment in August 1992. About
30% of the population have a monthly per capita income of under
2,000 rubles, and 1.5% under 1,000 rubles, i.e. considerably
lower than the new minimum wage of 2,250 rubles. (Sheila Marnie,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

NEW RUSSIAN REGULATIONS ON RETAIL TRADE. Two state documents
were issued on 29 October adding new regulation to retail trade
in Russia. The Central Bank published instructions forbidding
the sale of goods on the Russian market for hard currency unless
the goods were originally imported from abroad, Interfax reported.
This action may be considered part of the state's attempt to
combat the dollarization of the Russian economy. The same day,
President Yeltsin signed a decree requiring all businesses engaged
in retail trade to obtain a license from local government agencies
Such licensing will provide a means to control what is widely
considered price gauging of consumers by retailers. (Erik Whitlock,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

AID TO CIS DISCUSSED AT TOKYO CONFERENCE. Representatives from
nearly seventy nations and twenty international organizations
met in Tokyo for a two day conference on economic assistance
needs of the CIS countries and how to provide assistance more
effectively, various Western agencies reported on 29 and 30 October.
The United States and Japan used the opportunity to announce
new multi-million dollar aid packages. The United States added
another $100 million dollars in food aid to the $9.2 billion
of aid in various forms already dispersed or promised to the
CIS over the 1991-1993. Japan also announced a $100 million dollar
assistance package targeted at the Russian Far East and the Central
Asian republics. Japan has already distributed or promised $140
million in aid to the CIS. (Erik Whitlock, RFE/RL, Inc.)

BELARUSIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS REFERENDUM. The Belarusian parliament,
after three days' discussion, voted on 29 October against holding
a referendum on the dissolution of parliament and conducting
new elections in December, Belinform-TASS reported. The lawmakers
decided that laws were violated during the campaign to gather
signatures for the referendum. At the same time, the parliament
voted to hold parliamentary elections in March 1994, that is,
before the current parliament's term ends. Parliamentary Chairman
Stanislau Shushkevich characterized the move as a concession
to those who favored a referendum. (Roman Solchanyk, RFE/RL,
Inc.)

TAJIKISTAN SEEKS FOREIGN AID. The chairman of the Tajik Supreme
Soviet's Foreign Economic Relations Committee, Yakub Babazhanov,
told a Reuters correspondent on 29 October that Tajikistan desperately
needs Western help. Babazhanov is in Tokyo attending an international
conference on aid to twelve of the former republics of the USSR.
He commented that the need to get food and medical supplies to
parts of Tajikistan most affected by the fighting in that country
must take precedence over discussions of cooperation with international
financial institutions on the creation of a market economy. Western
news agencies reporting on the Tokyo conference say that Japan
is reorienting its interest from Siberia to the Central Asian
states. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.)

CENTRAL ASIAN LEADERS ATTEND SUMMIT IN TURKEY. The presidents
of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well
as Azerbaijan, are attending a conference of state leaders in
Ankara, Interfax reported on 28 October. Tajikistan was also
invited to participate but was unable to do so. Among the issues
to be discussed is Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's plan
for an Asian counterpart to the CSCE. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.)


"DNIESTER" LEADER ESCALATES DEMANDS ON MOLDOVA. "Dniester Republic
President" Igor Smirnov told Nezavisimaya gazeta of 22 October
that he had notified Chisinau that negotiations toward a settlement
of the conflict were conditional on Moldova's adherence to the
CIS and the ruble zone. (Moldova plans to introduce a national
currency and envisages a loose association with the CIS for a
transitional period). This marks the first time that the "Dniester
republic" publicly links the settlement of the conflict to Moldova's
attitude to the CIS. The statement will undoubtedly be seen in
Moldova as a further indication of coordination between Moscow
hardliners and Tiraspol. Smirnov also reiterated the demand for
turning Moldova into a confederation in which the "Dniester republic"
would have full-fledged state structures and its own armed forces.
The would-be republic is already well along in creating its own
army, internal security apparatus, and border guard. (Vladimir
Socor, RFE/RL, Inc.)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

ESTONIA CONDEMNS YELTSIN'S DECREE. Estonian President Lennart
Meri reacted sharply to his Russian counterpart's decree of 29
October suspending troop withdrawals from the Baltic states.
In remarks televised in Finland that evening, Meri said Boris
Yeltsin's statement "is in contradiction to the responsibilities
which Russia has taken on itself" toward the Baltic states. Meri
called on CSCE foreign ministers to take up the matter at their
upcoming Stockholm meeting in order "to seek a constructive solution
in a situation where the foreign policy statements of the Russian
Federation often contradict each other." Meri also reaffirmed
Estonia's commitment to human rights: "As President of the Republic
of Estonia, I once again confirm that human rights are guaranteed
to all residents of Estonia, and that citizenship rights are
so liberally guaranteed to all Estonian citizens that these could
be a model for many European states, including Russia." (Riina
Kionka, RFE/RL, Inc.)

COSTS OF CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSING FOR DEPARTING TROOPS. According
to Russian estimates, over 47 billion rubles are needed to build
housing in Russia for officers and their families leaving the
Baltic States. Currently, 6914 Russian officers are supposed
to leave Estonia, 17,899 to leave Latvia, and 9408 to leave Lithuania.
Several Western countries have offered financial aid to Russia
to construct such housing, once a troop withdrawal accord is
hammered out, BNS reported on 29 October. Russia's draft 1993
budget allocates 5 billion rubles for troop withdrawals from
the Baltic States, Interfax reported on 29 October. Diena reported
on 28 October that a company in the Latvian town of Aluksne has
started to construct a village in Russia to accommodate returning
Russian troops. (Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL, Inc.)

WHERE ARE PROZOR'S MUSLIMS? The Daily Telegraph reported from
Prozor in central Bosnia on 29 October on the aftermath of the
fighting between Croats and Muslims that began 10 days before.
The paper said that many Muslims, especially the men, had simply
disappeared, while columns of women, children, and the elderly
still make their way through neighboring wooded hills in search
of caves for protection. The British daily added that the Muslims
are "in a frozen exile with no shelter, little food, and seemingly
no one to relieve their plight." Prozor now has no Muslims following
what Muslim refugees said was an attempt to consolidate the Croats'
position in anticipation of a partition of the republic with
the Serbs. The Croats first claimed that "Islamic extremists"
had provoked the fighting, but Zagreb's Vecernji list of 28 October
placed the blame on alleged pro-Serb elements among the Muslim
military. (Patrick Moore, RFE/RL, Inc.)

SERBS TAKE STRATEGIC BOSNIAN TOWN. International media said on
29 October that Serbian forces took Jajce in west-central Bosnia
on the Banja Luka-Sarajevo road after a siege lasting weeks.
The Serbs will now be able better to link up other areas they
have taken. Jajce was one of the few major towns still controlled
by Croat-Muslim forces, and is of symbolic importance as the
place where Tito launched his program of Yugoslav federalism
in November 1943. Meanwhile, Western agencies quoted Croatian
President Franjo Tudjman as urging Bosnian leaders to let their
republic be divided along ethnic lines. Bosnian President Alija
Izetbegovic, for his part, continued his aid-seeking tour of
Islamic countries, stopping in Iran. He urged the Muslim world
to be more generous and assertive in helping his embattled republic.
Finally, the 30 October Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung quotes
a German-based human rights group investigating cases of genocide
as saying that 500 people die daily of hunger or malnutrition
in Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Patrick Moore, RFE/RL, Inc.)

VANCE, OWEN, PANIC IN KOSOVO. International mediators Cyrus Vance
and Lord Owen, accompanied by Milan Panic, Prime Minister of
the rump Yugoslavia, traveled to Kosovo in an attempt to avert
conflict in the ethnically-divided area. Some progress was reported
in new talks, mediated by Vance and Owen, between Panic and Ibrahim
Rugova, the Kosovo Albanian leader and self-styled president.
Panic agreed to reopen primary schools using the Albanian-language
on 2 November, with secondary schools reopening the following
day. Rugova described the talks as the "start of negotiations
over Kosovo." Rugova refused, however, to meet with local Serb
leader Milos Simovic. (Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUMP YUGOSLAVIA AND MACEDONIA AGREE ON MUTUAL RECOGNITION. Radio
Serbia reports on 29 October that Panic and Macedonian leaders
agreed in Skopje that the two governments should decide on mutual
recognition as soon as possible. Both sides stated that they
have no territorial claims against each other and pledged closer
economic relations. They also agreed that the Serbian minority
in Macedonia and Macedonians in Serbia-Montenegro will have the
same human and ethnic rights as all other citizens. Vance and
Owen also attended the meeting. They later flew to Tirana for
talks with Albanian President Sali Berisha on Kosovo's future
and other regional issues. (Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL, Inc.)


CZECHOSLOVAK-HUNGARIAN AGREEMENT ON GABCIKOVO. Czechoslovak and
Hungarian media reported on 29 October on the terms of the agreement
designed to resolve the dispute over the Gabcikovo hydroelectric
dam project. The agreement was reached during the London summit
of the "Visegrad Triangle." Czechoslovakia pledged to stop diverting
the Danube as of 31 October, provided this step was recommended
by a tripartite commission formed of Hungary, Czechoslovakia,
and the European Commission. Work would halt until at least 15
November while the commission prepares a report. MTI reports
that an urgent inspection was to take place at Gabcikovo on 29
October. Hungarian Secretary of State Janos Martonyi told an
RFE/RL correspondent that Czechoslovakia and Hungary had agreed
"on accepting to submit the case with all its aspects to binding
international arbitration or to the International Court of Justice."
(Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL, Inc.)

MECIAR ATTACKS HUNGARY, HUNGARY PROTESTS. Speaking at a press
conference in Prague on 29 October after his return from the
London summit, Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar sharply
criticized the current Hungarian political scene where, he said,
"one can hear nationalist, anti-Semitic, and even fascist slogans."
He said that not only Slovakia but also other neighbors of Hungary
are alarmed by this state of affairs. Meciar also claimed that
"more and more often calls for the revision of the Treaty of
Trianon are coming from Budapest." Czech Prime Minister Vaclav
Klaus distanced himself from Meciar's statements. Hungarian Secretary
of State Janos Martonyi, speaking in Budapest, described Meciar's
statements as "interference in Hungary's domestic affairs," CSTK
reported. Former Slovak Prime Minister Jan Carnogursky, said
at a press conference in Bratislava that the current Hungarian
government of Jozsef Antall is "threatened by nationalist forces"
and that the attitude of West European politicians toward the
Gabcikovo dam project is influenced by efforts to maintain stability
in Hungary. Carnogursky said that the Gabcikovo dam project must
be completed. (Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL, Inc.)

CZECHS AND SLOVAKS SIGN ACCORDS ON FUTURE COOPERATION. Czech
Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir
Meciar signed 16 agreements on 29 October defining mutual relations
between the Czech Republic and Slovakia after Czechoslovakia
splits on 1 January 1993. CSTK reported that the signing ceremony
took place at the Prague airport after the two prime ministers
returned from the London summit of the Visegrad Triangle leaders.
The agreements include those on creating a customs union and
on retaining a common currency after 1 January 1993. The agreements
will now be sent to the Czech and Slovak republican parliaments
for ratification. (Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL, Inc.)

UDF RENOMINATES DIMITROV, ATTACKS ZHELEV. On 30 October, one
day after the Prime Minister's resignation, the Union of Democratic
Forces (UDF) again nominated its chairman Filip Dimitrov to head
the government. Reporting from an emergency meeting of the UDF
leadership, Reuter said Dimitrov was asked to make a new attempt
to form a government and to reappoint some of his former ministers.
UDF leaders sharply attacked President Zhelyu Zhelev, a co-founder
of the coalition, blaming him for helping to bring down the cabinet.
UDF spokesman Mihail Nedelchev said Zhelev no longer represented
the UDF. In a statement, Zhelev responded that he remained true
to the main objectives and the political platform of the coalition.
(Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL, Inc.)

ROMANIA'S HDFR PROTESTS AGAINST FOREIGN MINISTRY INSTRUCTION...
The Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (HDFR) expressed
"consternation" at a recent instruction issued by the foreign
affairs ministry. In a communique released to Rompres on 29 October,
the HDFR says the instruction, which had been sent to prefectures,
violates the principle of local autonomy and displays "centralizing,
totalitarian" features suggesting the danger of a communist "restoration."
The instruction says that any contacts between local government
structures and foreign officials must be approved by the ministry
in advance. It was issued after Hungarian officials made visits
to Transylvania that had not been coordinated with the Romanian
foreign affairs ministry. The HDFR says the instruction is unconstitutional
and infringes on the rights of ethnic Hungarians. (Michael Shafir,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

...BUT MINISTRY REJECTS PROTEST. In a declaration issued on 29
October and broadcast by Radio Bucharest, the Romanian foreign
ministry rejected the HDFR protest. The ministry claimed its
instruction was in line with the law on local autonomy. It charged
that the use of the term "Transylvania" by Hungarian officials
was aimed at creating the false impression that Transylvania
is a separate administrative unit in Romania. Abuse of the term
by the Hungarian authorities, the ministry says, constitutes
an attempt to "separate Transylvania from the rest of Romania."
(Michael Shafir, RFE/RL, Inc.).

ROMANIA'S ETHNIC HUNGARIANS ON "COMMUNITY AUTONOMY." At a press
conference covered by Radio Bucharest on 29 October, HDFR leaders
admitted that the "community autonomy" proposed in their declaration
of 25 October lacked precise definition but said this was an
"offer" which must now be discussed in detail with the Romanian
ethnic majority. HDFR president Geza Domokos said the HDFR believes
that the notion does not violate the Romanian constitution, despite
the claims of those who have attacked the declaration. HDFR honorary
president Bishop Laszlo Toekes said the HDFR must never forget
that its political goals will never be achieved without support
from the ethnic Romanian majority. Radio Bucharest said the HDFR
representatives emphasized that self-administration does not
mean secession and that secession was "impossible in any case."
(Michael Shafir, RFE/RL, Inc.).

YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SENDS HUNGARY 1956 DOCUMENTS. Yugoslav Federal
Republic President Dobrica Cosic sent Hungarian president Arpad
Goncz copies of original documents on the 1956 revolution, MTI
reported on 29 October. The previously unknown documents include
a letter from then Prime Minister Janos Kadar to Edward Kardelj,
the deputy president of the executive council of the Yugoslav
Federal People's Republic. Kadar writes that "the Hungarian government...repeats
in writing what it had declared orally on numerous occasions:
that it does not wish to take reprisals against Imre Nagy and
his group for their past activities." The rest of the documents
deal with the situation of Hungarian politicians and their family
members at the Yugoslav embassy in Budapest. (Edith Oltay, RFE/RL,
Inc.)

TALKS OPEN ON POLISH "SOCIAL PACT." Talks between the government
and the trade unions on the proposed "pact on state firms" began
in Warsaw on 29 October. Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka opened
both the morning session with Solidarity and the afternoon talks
with the former official OPZZ federation and twelve other unions.
Suchocka urged both groups to mediate between the public and
the government and help persuade workers to accept the pact.
Solidarity '80 refused to take part, and two postcommunist miners'
unions walked out in protest during the first session. Spokesmen
for the remaining unions stressed their commitment to a negotiated
settlement but complained that the government's stance on economic
questions was too rigid. (Louisa Vinton, RFE/RL, Inc.)

LAST SESSION OF CURRENT LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT. On 29 October
the Lithuanian Supreme Council held what was probably its last
session, as it ceases to exist when at least two-thirds of the
new Seimas (94 deputies) is elected, Radio Lithuania reports.
This will happen after the second round of the elections, which
have been postponed from 8 November to 15 November. During the
session, the Civil Code was amended to increase the maximum fine
that courts can impose for insulting the honor and dignity of
individuals in the mass media from 30,000 coupons to more than
500,000 coupons. Another law declared that important Lithuanian
archives are the state's property regardless of where they are
and cannot be destroyed or removed from Lithuania. Control over
the archives was delegated to the newly established Population
Genocide Investigation Center. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.)


NEARLY 30,000 LEAVE ESTONIA. Almost 30,000 people emigrated from
Estonia during the first nine months of this year. According
to ETA, citing the Estonian Board of Statistics, the number of
emigrants this year is triple that for the same period last year.
Most of those who left--over 28,000--headed for the former Soviet
Union, and the overwhelming majority emigrated from Tallinn,
Kohtla-Jarve, and Narva. (Riina Kionka, RFE/RL, Inc.)

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Hal Kosiba & Louisa Vinton