No. 238, 11 December 1992

SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

CONGRESS REJECTS REFERENDUM; GAIDAR WELCOMES IT. The Congress
rejected President Yeltsin's proposal for a referendum, ITAR-TASS
reported on 10 December. Deputies adopted a resolution saying
that they are not in principle against a referendum as such,
but that the referendum should be about early elections for the
legislature and the presidency. Yeltsin had suggested that depending
on the results of the referendum on 24 January, there should
be presidential or legislative elections on 27-March. Acting
Prime Minister Egor Gaidar called Yeltsin's proposals "normal,
legal and democratic," and stated that the government will support
Yeltsin's idea of a referendum. Meanwhile, Yeltsin met factory
workers in Moscow and urged them to collect signatures for the
referendum on 24 January. Yeltsin said he expected over five
million signatures to be collected. (Alexander Rahr)

FURTHER RESPONSE TO REFERENDUM PROPOSAL. A number of people's
deputies have started collecting signatures in support of a referendum
proposed by President Yeltsin, ITAR-TASS reported on 10 October.
The same day, an editorial in Izvestiya supported Yeltsin's call
for the referendum and said Congress had given Yeltsin no other
choice. First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Shumeiko and Deputy
Prime Minister Aleksandr Shokhin also supported the idea of the
referendum, ITAR-TASS reported. Shumeiko said a referendum was
the only way to take power away from the Congress. Meanwhile,
supporters and opponents of the referendum held separate demonstrations
in Moscow. An RFE/RL correspondent said that several thousand
people participated in both demonstrations. Special police units
were deployed in the area to ensure public order. (Vera Tolz)


ZORKIN OFFERS TO MEDIATE AND ISSUES WARNING. Valerii Zorkin,
chairman of the Constitutional Court, addressed the afternoon
session of the Congress on 10 December. Zorkin suggested that
a round-table discussion be held, at which he, President Yeltsin,
and parliamentary speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov would reach a compromise
between the executive and legislative branches. If a compromise
is not reached, Zorkin said that the Court would begin impeachment
proceedings of the "responsible officials." The Congress subsequently
adopted a resolution voicing support for Zorkin's offer to arrange
such a meeting, ITAR-TASS reported. (According to the law, the
Constitutional Court is empowered to impeach the president but
it cannot dissolve the parliament.) Zorkin also urged the Congress
to refrain both from calling the referendum and from agitating
for or against it until the Court reviews the referendum questions
to ensure that they are in accordance with the Russian Constitution.
(Julia Wishnevsky)

KHASBULATOV CALLS FOR NEW PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
In an interview with Russian TV on 10 December, Khasbulatov called
for new elections for the Russian parliament and president. He
said the elections were necessary because both were elected during
the Communist period. He said both elections should be held at
the same time. (Vera Tolz)

GRACHEV DECLARES THAT MILITARY WILL REMAIN OUT OF POLITICS. Shortly
after Yeltsin's speech to the Congress on 10 December, Defense
Minister Pavel Grachev briefly addressed the Congress, promising
that the military supported the constitution and would not become
involved in politics. Interfax also reported on 10 December that
Grachev has postponed a planned trip to Germany to visit the
Western Group of Forces. (John Lepingwell)

CONGRESS REESTABLISHES PARLIAMENTARY SECURITY FORCE. Meeting
in a closed session in the evening of 10 December, the Congress
passed a resolution subordinating security forces around the
parliament (presumably meaning both the Congress and subsequently
the Supreme Soviet) to a new parliamentary security department.
The resolution appears to reflect the concerns of some deputies
that the Congress is threatened with dissolution. The resolution
also calls for new laws on federal security that would establish
three independent security structures for the legislative, judicial,
and executive branches. Parliamentary committees were also instructed
to prepare a bill establishing a parliamentary militia. The Congress'
move reflects a reversal of the November decision to resubordinate
the Supreme Soviet's militia to the Interior Ministry. The decisions
were reported by Interfax. (John Lepingwell)

CONGRESS DEFENDS KHASBULATOV AND ITSELF. The Congress refused
to discuss the offer of resignation which parliamentary speaker
Ruslan Khasbulatov made after being criticized by President Yeltsin,
ITAR-TASS reported on 10 December. Khasbulatov told deputies
not to panic since "no coups would succeed today." He noted that
"each person who violates the Constitution must . . . be removed
from his post." He also suggested that "in the next five years"
all executive state structures, including the office of the President,
should be moved out of the Kremlin. He added that the Kremlin
should become a museum. A Congressional resolution, adopted by
a vote of 740 to 51, stated that Yeltsin had made unjustified
accusations against the Congress and Khasbulatov. (Alexander
Rahr)

RUTSKOI, OTHER LEADERS, SIDE WITH CONGRESS. Vice President Aleksandr
Rutskoi called for a change of the government's economic reform
program at the Congress, ITAR-TASS reported on 10-December. Rutskoi
stated that criminal charges should be brought against those
officials who advised Yeltsin to adopt a confrontational approach
to the Congress. Rutskoi stressed that he remains loyal to the
Constitution, the law, the Congress and the people. He said he
was against Yeltsin's idea of a referendum because it would lead
to social upheavals. Meanwhile, following the lead of Minister
of Security Vladimir Barannikov, Minister of Internal Affairs
Viktor Erin told Congress that his ministry will refrain from
taking any unconstitutional action. (Alexander Rahr)

NIKOLAI TRAVKIN: YELTSIN SHOULD RESIGN. In an address to the
Congress, Nikolai Travkin, one of the founders of a pro-democracy
movement in Russia and a leader of the centrist Civic Union,
said that the current constitutional crisis is a sign of the
emergence of a civil society in Russia, and he noted the contribution
toward its development by "our two first presidents"-i.e., former
USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev and Russian President Boris
Yeltsin. According to Travkin, both eventually exhausted their
ability to implement reforms. Travkin said that Gorbachev had
grasped this and resigned with dignity; it was now time for Yeltsin
to do the same. He also reminded the Congress that should Yeltsin's
failure to reach a compromise with the opposition lead to the
president's impeachment, Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi would
serve as acting president for three months, a period during which
parliament would be able to adopt a new election law. New presidential
and legislative elections could then follow. (Julia Wishnevsky)


RUSSIAN OFFICIALS SUGGEST WAY OUT OF CRISIS. Vladimir Lysenko,
a member of the democratic faction "Consent for the Sake of Progress"
said on 10 December that he and his supporters would try to convince
parliamentary speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov to hold another vote
on Egor Gaidar on 11 December, Interfax and Reuters reported.
Lysenko said he thought it would be possible to convince enough
deputies to change their minds to reverse the Congress' rejection
of Gaidar. Another official, secretary of the Russian Constitutional
Commission Oleg Rumyantsev told Interfax the same day that Yeltsin
should give more executive power to Vice President Rutskoi and
remain head of state with far fewer powers than he has today.
Rumyantsev said this move would end the deadlock between the
Congress and the president. (Vera Tolz)

PUBLICATION OF MAJOR RUSSIAN NEWSPAPERS THREATENED? In the course
of the 10-December session of the Congress, which was broadcast
live by Russian radio and TV, a deputy reported that the director
of the Pressa publishing house had informed the editors of Pravda,
Sovetskaya Rossiya, Selskaya zhizn, Rabochaya tribuna, and Komsomolskaya
pravda that none of their papers would be published on 11 December
because they had failed to pay Pressa for previous services.
The Congress passed a resolution calling for Pressa to print
the aforementioned papers while also promising to pay the newspapers'
debts. Three of these papers support the hardline opposition,
one (Rabochaya tribuna) sides with the centrist Civic Union,
and one (Komsomolskaya pravda) supports the Yeltsin administration.
(Julia Wishnevsky)

RUSSIAN CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS ON LAND OWNERSHIP. On 7 December
the Congress of People's Deputies introduced two amendments to
article 12 of the Constitution on private land ownership. According
to an article in Izvestiya on 9 December, the amendments are
a half measure, which does not meet the demands being made before
the Congress by those calling for a referendum on land ownership.
Article 12 already allowed private property, but the owner could
not sell until 10 years after acquiring the land. The amendments
removed the 10-year moratorium, but only for private plots which
can be used for garden produce or construction of private housing.
In all other cases the plots can be sold after 10 years if they
were acquired without payment, and after 5 years if they had
been bought for payment. According to Izvestiya, the Congress
has only put in legal form the practice of selling garden plots
which has existed since the Brezhnev period. It has not made
the purchase of land for commercial farming any easier, and it
has hindered the creation of a land market. (Sheila Marnie)

RUSSIAN CONGRESS ENDORSES LAW ON INGUSH REPUBLIC. The Congress
of People's Deputies reviewed the situation in the North Ossetian-Ingush
conflict zone at a closed session in the evening of 10-December,
ITAR-TASS and Interfax reported. The Congress endorsed the Russian
Federation law on the formation of an Ingush republic, passed
by the Russian parliament on 4 June 1922, and adopted a resolution
calling on the Russian parliament and executive branch to set
up the necessary legislative and executive structures for the
Ingush republic. The reports make no mention of the frontiers
of the Ingush republic, lack of agreement on which has hitherto
prevented the holding of elections to a republican legislature.
(Ann Sheehy)

CENSORSHIP OF RUSSIAN MEDIA ON INGUSH-OSSETIAN CONFLICT. A formal
political censorship of the Russian media has been introduced
in its coverage of the Ingush-Ossetian conflict. All written,
video and audio materials must first be screened by censors,
Komsomolskaya pravda reported on 9 December. (The Russian press
has already complained about censorship of its coverage of the
conflict, but now the already existing practice seems to have
been formalized.) Vladimir Solodin, deputy chairman of the press
center at the Temporary Administration of North Ossetia and Ingushetia,
is in charge of the media censorship. Until 1991, Solodin was
a top official in the Soviet main censorship body, Glavlit. (Vera
Tolz)

BALLISTIC MISSILE USED FOR MEDICAL EXPERIMENT. On 9 December
a Russian nuclear submarine off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula
fired an RSM-25 ballistic missile carrying a unique medical experiment.
(The RSM-25 is known in the West as the SS-N-6 "Serb." This obsolete
3,000-kilometer range missile is carried by Yankee I submarines.)
According to Russian Information Agency (RIA) on 10 December,
the missile carried a "Meduza" module in its warhead section.
Scientists hope to develop medicines by electrophoresis during
the short period of weightlessness during the missile's flight.
On 6-November the "Novosti" TV program said that purpose of the
mission was to develop "super-pure interferon," a substance which
could aid in the fight against cancer and AIDS. The RIA account
said that retired naval missiles would be launched on a commercial
basis in the future. (Doug Clarke)

PRO-COMMUNIST FORCES MOVE INTO DUSHANBE. Western agencies with
correspondents in Dushanbe and Radio Rossii reported on 11 December
that pro-Communist forces loyal to the new government of Tajikistan
have moved into the Tajik capital, formerly under the control
of sympathizers of democratic and Islamic parties. The forces
were led by newly appointed Minister of Internal Affairs Yakub
Salimov from Gissar, a staging area west of Dushanbe. According
to one Western report, Salimov was holding talks with leaders
of the anti-Communist opposition. The commander of Russian border
guards stationed in Dushanbe told a Western correspondent that
fighting was going on in many parts of the city. (Bess Brown)


UZBEK SUPREME SOVIET VOTES TO BAN BIRLIK. Interfax and Western
news agencies reported on 10-December that Uzbekistan's legislature
had voted to revoke the registration of the Popular Front movement
Birlik, the largest Uzbek nationalist political organization.
The Supreme Soviet also revoked the mandate of deputy Marat Zakhidov,
a leader of the Uzbek Human Rights Association; Zakhidov said
he believed the action was taken because of his opposition sympathies.
The legislature also instructed the Ministry of Justice to investigate
what opposition deputies described as illegal methods used against
Birlik leaders. (Bess Brown)



CORRECTION: The official of the Uzbek Popular Front movement
Birlik who was abducted on a Bishkek street on 8 December by
Uzbek Interior Ministry officers was incorrectly identified in
the 10-December 1992 RFE/RL Daily Report as Abdurakhim Pulatov,
chairman of Birlik. Sources in Tashkent have reported that it
was Abdumanap Pulatov, younger brother of Abdurakhim, who was
seized. Abdumanap is head of Uzbekistan's Human Rights Association
in addition to his role in Birlik; in Bishkek he had been chosen
to head a Central Asian Human Rights Association.



CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

MACEDONIA CHANGES NAME. The parliament of the former Yugoslav
republic of Macedonia voted late on 10 December to change its
name to the Republic of Macedonia (Skopje). Radio Serbia said
Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov had asked parliament to adopt
the name in a bid to win international recognition and "a sign
of our goodwill." The proposal won support of all assembly deputies
apart from some opposition parties and a few independents. Greece
has blocked EC recognition of Macedonia saying that the use of
the name implies a claim to the northern Greek territory also
called Macedonia. International media report that more than a
million people demonstrated in Athens on 10-December supporting
the Greek government's position and against any change in the
EC's wavering stance on recognition. UN Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali has urged the Security Council to send 800 peace-keeping
troops to Macedonia. They would be deployed along Macedonia's
border with Serbia and Albania to monitor the situation and stand
between hostile forces. An EC summit begins today in Edinburgh
and Macedonia is on the agenda.(Milan Andrejevich)

NATO PLANS FOR YUGOSLAV AREA. German TV reported on 10 December
that NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels have drawn up
contingency plans for action in the former Yugoslavia. Options
include enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia with warplanes,
creation of "safe havens" for civilians, and the deployment of
peacekeepers to trouble spots such as Kosovo. The ministers stressed
that plans would only be used if the UN decides that further
measures are needed. Almost all NATO allies have ruled out the
possibility of full military intervention with ground forces.
(Milan Andrejevich)

BOSNIAN SERBS WANT SARAJEVO CIVILIANS EVACUATED. On 10 December
Radios Croatia and Serbia quote Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic
as saying that evacuating Sarajevo is the only way to save the
civilian population. Karadzic made the point in a letter to international
organizations and the cochairmen of the Geneva Conference on
the Former Yugoslavia. Earlier in the week Karadzic offered safe
passage out of the city for all Sarajevo residents, but no evacuation
has taken place. Another Bosnian Serb leader, Nikola Koljevic,
said that Bosnian Serb forces will evacuate all civilians themselves
if there is no other way to remove them. In Geneva Bosnian Foreign
Minister Haris Silajdzic dismissed the evacuation order, calling
it cruel and cynical. (Milan Andrejevich)

NEW LITHUANIAN CABINET. On 10 December Prime Minister Bronislavas
Lubys announced the members of his cabinet. The following also
served as ministers in the Abisala government: Leonas Asmantas-energy,
Audrius Butkevicius-defense, Jonas Birziskis-transport, Gintautas
Zintelis-communications, and Teodoras Medaiskis-social security.
New ministers are: Povilas Gilys-foreign affairs, Julius Veselka-economics,
Eduardas Vilkelis-finance, Dainius Trinkunas-culture and education,
Vytautas Kreuza-health, Jonas Prapiestis-justice, Romasis Vaitekunas-interior,
Rimantas Karazija- agriculture, Albertas Sinevicius-industry
and trade, and Algirdas Vapsys-construction and city planning.
The government will start work after the Seimas approves its
program and the ministers take the oath of office, possibly on
15 December, BNS reported on 10 December. (Dzintra Bungs)

CZECH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SET FOR JANUARY. On 10 December the
parties of the governing coalition in the Czech National Council
agreed that the Czech Republic will elect its president in mid-January,
less than two weeks after the division of the Czechoslovak federation.
There are currently two candidates for the position, former federal
president Vaclav Havel and Jiri V. Kotas, a little-known former
emigre who unsuccessfully sought the Czechoslovak presidency
after Havel's resignation. Kotas is given virtually no chance,
as all major Czech parties have pledged to support Havel. According
to the Czech draft constitution, the president will be elected
by Czech parliament deputies. Meanwhile, a dispute seems to have
broken out among Slovak leaders about candidates for the Slovak
presidency. While Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar indicated that
the president should be chosen from among his Movement for a
Democratic Slovakia, Foreign Minister Milan Knazko, also a leading
MDS official, called for the election of a nonpartisan candidate
who could garner the broadest possible support. (Jan Obrman)


HAVEL CONDEMNS ANTI-SEMITISM. Former Czechoslovak President Vaclav
Havel spoke out against a rising tide of anti-Semitism, following
the publication last week of an article in a right-wing publication
purporting to list Jews active in the Czech Republic's cultural
sphere. In a press conference in Prague on 10 December, Havel
said that the list in Politika is the type of prose written in
the early period of Nazi Germany that "led to concentration camps."
Meanwhile, Josef Tomas, editor-in-chief of the weekly, announced
that he is suspending publication for the time being. He told
CTK on 10 December that Politika will not be published until
criminal proceedings against it are completed. Tomas and the
owner of the publication, Martin Savel, face charges of inciting
racial hatred and national, racial, and religious defamation.
(Jan Obrman)

DUBCEK'S SONS TO SERVE IN THE US. Two of former CPCS First Secretary
Alexander Dubcek's three sons will serve as Slovak diplomats.
On 10-December Slovak Foreign Minister Milan Knazko announced
that Pavol Dubcek will be posted to the new Slovak Embassy in
Washington but did not say what position he will hold or when
he is expected to arrive. Pavol's brother Milan will arrive next
week to join the Czechoslovak Mission to the UN, Czechoslovakia's
UN Ambassador Eduard Kukan told RFE/RL. He will later transfer
to the Slovak Mission, concentrating on economic issues. Alexander
Dubcek died on 7 November following a car crash. (Jan Obrman)


BUDGET DEBATE BEGINS IN POLAND. Finance Minister Jerzy Osiatynski
submitted the government's proposed budget for 1993 to the Sejm
on 10 December. The budget attempts to shift funds from social
benefits to spending on restructuring and economic growth. GDP
is expected to grow by 2%; prices are to rise 32%; interest rates
are to drop; and the deficit for the year is estimated at 81
trillion zloty, or 5% of GDP. Labor Minister Jacek Kuron submitted
a related bill that would reduce the indexing of pensions from
100% to 91% of the average wage; otherwise, he warned, pensions
would amount to 33% of the budget. The government's proposal
to raise taxes on the highest incomes from 40% to 50% raised
objections from some coalition parties. Debate on the budget
was unexpectedly cut short by an opposition motion submitted
when only 66 deputies were present, prompting shouts of "Anarchy!"
from the government coalition. Debate resumed on 11 December.
(Louisa Vinton)

POLAND REJECTS "BUFFER ZONE" STATUS. The Polish ambassador to
Germany, Janusz Reiter, told German radio on 10 December that
Poland should gain full membership in the European Community
if it is to be expected to cope with asylum-seekers rejected
by Germany. Reiter was responding to Germany's decision to refuse
admission to asylum-seekers attempting to enter the country from
neighboring states. In remarks reported by Reuters, Reiter said
that Poland and Czechoslovakia are being forced to share the
constraints faced by EC members without reaping any of the benefits.
Poland should not be treated as a "buffer zone" between asylum-seekers
and Germany, Reiter said. (Louisa Vinton)

"SELF-DEFENSE" AGAIN OCCUPIES AGRICULTURE MINISTRY. Some 30 activists
from the radical Self-Defense farmers' union burst in on a meeting
of the agricultural restructuring and debt-relief fund at the
agriculture ministry on 10 December. Demanding a moratorium on
interest payments on old loans for farmers and new credits at
5% interest, the protesters blocked the exits and refused to
allow those present to leave the building. Marek Lech, a Self-Defense
deputy chairman, claimed that the protesters were armed with
grenades. When attempts at persuasion failed, a force of 90 policemen
escorted the protesters from the building and took them into
custody. (Louisa Vinton)

DEVELOPMENTS IN HUNGARIAN "MEDIA WAR." Hungary's chief prosecutor
banned Elemer Hankiss, head of Hungarian TV, from entering his
office, Hungarian Radio reported on 10 December. Hankiss was
suspended by the government a day earlier on charges of financial
mismanagement. The government also announced that Finance Minister
Mihaly Kupa, Labor Minister Gyula Kiss, and Minister without
Portfolio Tibor Fuzessy will be the members of the investigating
committee charged to rule on Hankiss's case. In addition, two
high ranking television executives were also charged with fiduciary
misconduct. Hankiss has requested a hearing with President Arpad
Goncz, whom Hankiss considers his only employer. (Karoly Okolicsanyi)


HUNGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY PROPOSES CONFERENCE. The Hungarian
Socialist Party (HSP) is proposing a conference to find ways
to stabilize the country, MTI reported on 10-December. The suggestion
was enclosed in a letter written by HSP Chairman Gyula Horn to
the leaders of the other five parliamentary parties. Horn said
the conference is needed because of the bad atmosphere in the
country, increasing tensions, and the growing impatience of the
population with political infighting. Specifically, five major
topics were suggested: economic policy, unemployment, protection
of the poor, law and order, and the protection of Hungarian minorities
in neighboring countries. (Karoly Okolicsanyi)

HUNGARIAN DEMOCRATIC FORUM OFFICIAL VISITS US. Sandor Lezsak,
one of the six vice presidents of the ruling HDF, paid a two-day
visit to Washington, MTI reported on 10-December. He was invited
by the Democratic Leadership Council. Lezsak met congressional
leaders and was a dinner guest of Sen. Joseph Lieberman and main
Democratic fund raisers. Lezsak also met Vice President-elect
Al Gore and was introduced to President-elect Bill Clinton. (Karoly
Okolicsanyi)

FIRST TRANSACTIONS ON ROMANIAN COMMODITIES EXCHANGE. The Romanian
Commodities Exchange reopened in Bucharest on 10 December after
a 63-year break, Rompres and Western agencies report. The only
transaction recorded was that of calf leather. Offers of aluminum,
cocoa, coffee, and photocopy paper went unsold. The exchange
has 88-founding members, who invested some $2.2 million. About
half of the shares are owned by state-run companies and the rest
by private firms and banks. (Michael Shafir)

ROMANIAN-US ECONOMIC COUNCIL MEETS. After the 18th session of
the Romanian-US Economic Council in Bucharest on 9 December,
Rompres quoted several figures released by the Romanian side.
Romania registered a deficit of $103 million in its trade with
the US in the first 10 months of 1992 (the deficit was $66.6
million in 1991 and $64.1 million in 1990). In the first ten
months of 1992, bilateral trade amounted to $252.2 million, of
which $74.6-million was Romanian exports and $177.6 million was
imports. Trade in both directions declined from $741.4 million
in 1990 to $301.6 million in 1991. American investments in Romania
now amount to $64 million, and US companies are the fourth biggest
foreign investors in the country. (Michael Shafir)

PROGRESS ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL ISSUES IN LITHUANIA. At a meeting
on 8 December in Vilnius, Russian military leaders and Lithuanian
authorities reached understanding on arrangements for paying
the troops salaries in Lithuanian provisional money from the
Russian Defense Ministry funds. Lithuanian Defense Minister Audrius
Butkevicius indicated also that it may be possible for the Russian
officers in Lithuania to sell their apartments and use the money
to purchase housing elsewhere. BNS also reported on 10 December
that currently there are 15,000 Russian troops in Lithuania,
whereas at the beginning of this year there were about 36,000.
(Dzintra Bungs)

EX-SOVIET EMBASSY IN RIGA TO BE TURNED OVER TO RUSSIA. Baltfax
reported on 10-December that Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis
has announced that the former Soviet embassy in Riga, currently
housing Latvia's Ministry of Culture, will be turned over to
Russia after mid-December, once the ministry has moved out. This
decision is expected to put an end to the ongoing dispute and
stop Russia's threatened retaliatory measures against the Latvian
embassy in Moscow. (Dzintra Bungs)

BULGARIA AT BLACK SEA MEETING. At a conference of the foreign
ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation group in Antalya,
Turkey, on 10-December, Bulgarian chief delegate, Deputy Foreign
Minister Dimitar Ikonomov, confirmed Bulgaria's support for coordinated
regional efforts, although he said cooperation should not be
allowed to interfere with the "foreign economic or foreign political
priorities" of the 11 participating countries. According to the
BTA report, Ikonomov reiterated Bulgaria's position that the
Black Sea states must avoid becoming a closed group. Bulgaria
accepted chairmanship of the group for the second half of 1993
and proposed hosting an international research conference on
economic aspects of Black Sea cooperation. (Kjell Engelbrekt)


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