No. 4, 08 January 1993

RUSSIA



FILATOV APPOINTED YELTSIN'S CHIEF OF STAFF. First Deputy Chairman
of the Russian Supreme Soviet Sergei Filatov confirmed on 7 January
that he had been appointed chief of staff to President Boris
Yeltsin, ITAR-TASS reported. Filatov, a proponent of fundamental
democratic reforms, said that Yeltsin wants to "reinforce his
circle with democrats." Filatov replaces Yurii Petrov, who has
reportedly been criticized for his "insufficiently decisive position"
during the December 1992 session of the Congress of People's
Deputies, and for his allegedly conservative influence on the
president. Keith Bush/Alexander Rahr

KOZYREV ON RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCES. Defending nuclear disarmament
in a recent interview, Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev
said that "the real challenge to our security today lies in regional
conflicts." He argued that nuclear weapons were of "absolutely
no importance whatsoever" for conflicts such as those in Tajikistan,
South Ossetia, Abkhazia, or Moldova. He said Russia should direct
its "efforts, attention, resources" to equip rapid deployment
forces for use in regional conflicts and peacekeeping. The interview
appeared on Russian TV's "Utro" program, 6-January 1993. Suzanne
Crow

SWEDEN AS EXAMPLE. In the same interview, Kozyrev said that he
had recently discussed his ideas on rapid deployment forces while
on a visit to Sweden. Sweden, Kozyrev said, is a superpower in
its own right with decades of experience in training troops,
equipping them, and providing language instruction for involvement
in U.N. operations to keep the peace. Kozyrev continued: "That
is what we need. This is where we should have become a superpower."
Suzanne Crow

RUSSIAN COAL INDUSTRY TO BE PRIVATIZED. According to Interfax
of 5 January, President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on 30 December
ordering the privatization of the Russian coal industry by 31
March 1993. A total of 54 enterprises are to be sold off, including
19 mining organizations and 17 coal machine-building plants.
The government is to confirm a statute on state support for coal
enterprises within a two-month period. Keith Bush

VOLSKY OPTIMISTIC. The industrialists' leader, Arkadii Volsky,
told Moscow TV on 5-January that he has seen the latest IMF appraisals
of the Russian economy and that they favor his program over that
of former acting prime minister Egor Gaidar. He emphasized that
the industrialists found a common language with the new Prime
Minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin, during their meeting in Moscow
on 5-January. Volsky cited a recent opinion poll which said that
22% of those questioned would vote for the centrist Civic Union
in popular elections against only 4% for the democrats and 3%
for communists. Volsky stated that he intends to become more
involved in political affairs. He also spoke in favor of resurrecting
a new common state on the territory of the former Soviet Union.
Alexander Rahr

OIL EXTRACTION AND EXPORTS DOWN IN 1992. The extraction of oil
in the Commonwealth of Independent States (excluding Azerbaijan)
in 1992 totalled 409 million tons, down from 515 million tons
in 1991. The comparable figures for Russia were 395-(460) million
tons. These and other data were supplied by Rosneftegaz to Interfax
and Western agencies on 5 January. The preliminary totals of
oil exports in 1992 were 71 million tons from the CIS, including
about 60 million tons from Russia. It was not stipulated whether
these estimates took account of oil shipments made by independent
producers or producing regions. Keith Bush

TRADE BETWEEN US AND CIS SLOW TO PICK UP. According to officials
of the US Trade Representatives Office, only five members of
the CIS-Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine-have
so far achieved most-favored-nation status with the US. Belarus
and Kazakhstan are expected to attain MFN status with the US
within the next two months. Trade between the CIS and the US
increased by 7.5% in the first nine months of 1992, but it is
only possible to identify the destination and source of about
half of the exports and imports. Of that portion, 88%, or $855
million, was with Russia, and 9%, $86 million, with Ukraine.
Sheila Marnie/ Robert Lyle.

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

FUNERAL SERVICES FOR PRIVATIZATION VOUCHERS. A firm in Kurgan
is offering funeral services in exchange for privatization vouchers,
ITAR-TASS reported on 6 January. For one voucher with a face
value of 10,000 rubles, the firm provides a package valued at
20,000 rubles. It includes a monument, a fence around the grave,
and the delivery of the coffin. Customers will have to pay extra
for the grave and the religious service. Keith Bush

STATE OF EMERGENCY IN DUSHANBE. The Chairman of Tajikistan's
Supreme Soviet and the country's head of state, Imomali Rakhmonov,
imposed a state of emergency and curfew on Dushanbe and nearby
raions on 7 January, Radio Dushanbe reported. Similar decrees
by earlier governments had been largely ignored. Rakhmonov's
decree includes both the pro-government stronghold of Gissar
and the opposition stronghold Kofarnikhon and bans demonstrations,
strikes, hunger strikes, and sporting events and limits movement
of traffic, warning that individuals will be subject to document
checks and physical searches. Political parties and other associations
will be restricted if they are deemed to endanger the political
situation. Bess Brown

TAJIK GOVERNMENT TAKES ON BADAKHSHAN. Interfax reported on 7
January that the Tajik authorities have begun confiscating weapons
in Gorno-Badakhshan. In early 1992 the Autonomous Oblast in the
Pamirs declared itself an Autonomous Republic; its autonomy movement,
Lali Badakhshan, was part of the coalition that unseated the
Communist regime of former President Rakhmon Nabiev. Pamiris
were strong supporters of the democratic-Islamic groups. The
Interfax report noted that the Pamiris have ignored the orders
of the present government to surrender their weapons. The same
day, Tajik head of state Imomali Rakhmonov received a delegation
of women from Badakhshan seeking help in overcoming serious food
shortages in the region. Bess Brown

RESPONSES TO TASHKENT SUMMIT. Russian and Western news media
are describing the outcome of the meeting of Central Asian leaders
in Tashkent on 3 and 4 January as tantamount to the creation
of a Central Asian union. Articles in the 6 January issue of
Nezavisimaya gazeta characterized the meeting as practically
restoring the pre- revolutionary Turkestan, but noted that this
term could not be used because it would offend the Tajiks, although
the present Tajik government, heavily dependent on support from
Uzbekistan, is less likely to defend Tajik national interests
against the country's Turkic neighbors than was the highly nationalistic
Tajik anti-Communist and pro-Islamic opposition. The desire of
the Central Asian leaders to create a regional association is
widely explained by the shortcomings of the CIS. Bess Brown

SHEVARDNADZE DENIES HE HAS HAD HEART ATTACK. On 7 January Georgian
parliament chairman Eduard Shevardnadze denied reports by Georgian
and Western agencies that he had suffered a minor heart attack
the previous day, Interfax reported. A spokesman for Shevardnadze
claimed that the latter had spent "a normal working day" on 6
January; ITAR-TASS reported that Shevardnadze met on 7 January
with the vice-president of the International Sakharov Committee,
Hans-Christian Nirskoff. Liz Fuller

ELCHIBEY RESPONDS TO YELTSIN/BUSH STATEMENT ON KARABAKH. In an
undated response broadcast on 7 January by Radio Baku to the
Bush/Yeltsin joint statement of 3-January calling for an immediate
end to the bloodshed in Nagorno-Karabakh and the resumption of
peace negotiations under the aegis of the CSCE, Azerbaijani president
Abulfaz Elchibey reiterated that the sole cause of the conflict
is Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, and accused the US
Congress of discrimination-against Azerbaijan. Elchibey pledged
support for any efforts quickly to resolve the confrontation
"in a just way and on the basis of international law." Liz Fuller


TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN HOLD TALKS ON OIL PIPELINE. On 7 January Azerbaijan's
oil minister, Sabit Bagirov, concluded two days of talks in Ankara
with officials of the state-run Turkish pipeline company Botas
on the feasibility of transporting Azerbaijani oil to the Mediterranean
via Turkey, AFP reported. Representatives of Amoco and British
Petroleum, which have signed contracts to develop Azerbaijan's
offshore oil deposits, also participated in the talks. Liz Fuller


KAZAKHSTAN STARTS TO MINT OWN MONEY. Kazakhstan began minting
its own coins on 1 January, Interfax reported on 6 January. An
independent daily in Alma-Ata was quoted as saying that a single
German machine in a metallurgical plant in East Kazakhstan is
turning out 750 coins per minute. Bess Brown

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



BOSNIAN SERBS WILL NOT ALTER NEGOTIATING POSITIONS. Radovan Karadzic
said in a message televised on Belgrade TV for Orthodox Christmas
that Bosnian Serbs are sticking to their negotiating positions
while leaving the door open for flexibility at the stalled Geneva
peace talks expected to resume in a few days. Karadzic called
on "Serbs not to worry about the way the Geneva negotiations
are going." He added "The essential thing is the result . . .
the one the Serbian people want . . . of freedom and independence."
In the latest issue of the independent Croatian weekly Globus,
Karadzic said that Bosnian Serbs have the right to self-defense
and warned, "it is not difficult to procure nuclear weapons on
the open market." In the same issue of the Zagreb weekly Lord
Owen, cochairman of the Geneva conference, stated that all problems
in Bosnia-Herzegovina seem to him solvable "except the Serb demand
for their own republic in Bosnia-Herzegovina," which would in
fact be a state within a state. There is no way this could fit
into our peace plan, Owen said. -Milan Andrejevich

SESELJ BLASTS COSIC. Vojislav Seselj, leader of the Serbian Radical
Party, Serbia's second largest political party, stated in an
interview on Belgrade TV on 7-January that he was astounded by
federal President Dobrica Cosic's televised 6 January speech.
Cosic stated that if the Serbs do not accept the latest UN-EC
Bosnian peace plan, both Bosnian Serbs and Serbia-Montenegro
could be the target of US and NATO attacks. He described Cosic's
speech as "fatalistic" and "dishonorable," because it conveyed
a feeling of capitulation onto the people. Seselj suggested "Panicky
statesmen should step aside and leave state business to level-headed
leaders who can boldly face all danger." Cosic, he alleged, is
dissatisfied with the results of last month's elections, he continued,
and blames them on popular ignorance. Seselj concluded that the
Federal Assembly, which his party and the Socialists dominate,
had made a mistake in electing Cosic as President in June and
recommended that "the best thing would be for Cosic to return
to his books." -Milan Andrejevich

SERBIAN PATRIARCH DENOUNCES WAR. In a grim, emotional message
marking Orthodox Christmas on 7-January, Serbian Patriarch Pavle
spoke of the suffering inflicted by the wars in Croatia and Bosnia
and said Serbs are feeling ashamed as they celebrate their Christmas
Day. Pavle told his congregation, "We as religious people, as
Christians, know that a Godless person is he who does evil and
acts inhumanely regardless of what uniform he is wearing. Our
surroundings are polluted with gun smoke; the smell of blood,
the still unfound and unburied bones on the fronts cry out to
us. There is not enough black cloth to mourn the dead." While
lip service is paid to humane principles, people still believe
there is more benefit to their own nation through evil than through
good, that their nation has the right to defend itself with cruelty
and crime, Pavle said. Radio Serbia carried the report. -Milan
Andrejevich

MACEDONIA AND THE UN. Kiro Gligorov, president of the Republic
of Macedonia, announced on 7 January that he is initiating a
formal application for his country's admission to the UN, Reuters
reports. The effort comes more than a year after the Republic
of Macedonia was established and is in part intended to gain
broad international recognition, which has been blocked by Greece.
Athens demands that the republic drop the word Macedonia from
its official name. In a related matter, more than 150 Canadian
UNPROFOR troops arrived in Macedonia on 7 January. They are intended
as a deterrent to expansion into Macedonia of the war in the
former Yugoslavia. -Duncan Perry

MACEDONIA RECEIVES LOAN FROM SOROS. Hungarian-born American financier
and philanthropist George Soros will lend the Republic of Macedonia
$25-million to aid in purchasing fuel and other supplies essential
for surviving the winter. He announced the loan on 5 January,
according to Soros Foundation sources and Western media. Soros
is seeking to draw international attention to what he called
"the critical and dangerous situation in Macedonia today," a
reference to deteriorating economic conditions and the resultant
growing potential for civil disorder. He called for immediate
international recognition of Macedonia. In addition to other
philanthropic activity in Eastern Europe, Soros has donated $50
million to aid the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and $100
million for preserving basic science in Russia. -Duncan Perry


RUMP YUGOSLAVIA RELEASES ROMANIAN SHIPS. On 7 January the authorities
in Belgrade released 4-Romanian tugboats and 18 barges that were
detained along with their crews last week. Western agencies quoted
a spokesman for the Romanian Foreign Ministry as saying that
the detentions are thought to be a Yugoslav retaliation for Romania's
enforcement of the UN trade embargo against rump Yugoslavia.
He described the release of the vessels as "a good sign," but
added that nobody could "anticipate Yugoslavia's next move."
Also on 7-January Rompres reported that Serbian authorities have
detained another Romanian ship at the Danube port of Novi Sad,
claiming the river was too frozen at that point to permit further
passage. No further details or official comment were available.
-Dan Ionescu

SEJM VOTES ABORTION BAN. By a vote of 213 to 171-with 29 abstentions,
the Polish parliament on 7-January approved a bill banning virtually
all abortions. Although far more restrictive than the European
norm, the bill allows exceptions not contained in the original
draft, which permitted abortion only to save a pregnant woman's
life. Amendments were approved to legalize abortion in cases
of rape or incest (when documented by a prosecutor); when the
pregnant woman's health is threatened (as certified by two physicians);
or if the fetus has incurable genetic defects. All penalties
were removed for women who induce abortion themselves. Doctors
who perform abortions still face prison terms of two years. Other
amendments mandated sex education and ready access to contraceptives.
The Sejm rejected a motion to hold a national referendum on abortion,
although nearly a million citizens have signed petitions demanding
one. The bill now goes to the Senate, which is expected to restore
most of its original provisions. -Louisa Vinton

SOLIDARITY, GOVERNMENT END COST-OF-LIVING DISPUTE. Labor Minister
Jacek Kuron and Solidarity Chairman Marian Krzaklewski signed
an agreement on 5 January closing talks on compensation for cost-of-living
increases. The union had opened the conflict in August. Solidarity
won a guarantee of increased real wages in industry in 1993,
provided growth in GDP continues. The government secured the
union's agreement to limit consumption growth to half the rate
of GDP growth, in order to allow for increased spending on investment.
Solidarity's national leadership gave the agreement conditional
approval on 7-January. Coming in the wake of Solidarity's negotiated
conclusion of the recent general strike in mining, the agreement
confirms the union's preeminent position on the Polish labor
scene and reinforces its image as a conciliatory negotiating
partner for the government. -Louisa Vinton

WALESA SETS UP ECONOMIC COUNCIL. A presidential advisory "council
on economic growth" met for the first time on 5 January to begin
deliberations on a long-term economic strategy for Poland, PAP
reported. President Lech Walesa said the council will not meddle
in the government's day-to-day policy decisions, but will rather
concentrate on his idea of a "master plan." Walesa's chief economic
adviser, former Finance Minister Andrzej Olechowski, said that
the president's five-year term of office predestined him to formulate
Poland's "economic constitution." The council, whose membership
is open, includes 29-prominent business leaders and 18 economic
experts, including former Deputy Prime Minister Leszek Balcerowicz.
In an unrelated development, Walesa's press spokesman dismissed
as "inferior science fiction" charges that the president had
attempted to purchase nuclear arms from Ukraine and that his
closest aide had completed a course for secret police officers.
The charges were made by former officials, now fallen from grace,
who are renowned for sensationalistic accusations. -Louisa Vinton


LITHUANIAN PRIME MINISTER IN POLAND. Polish Prime Minister Hanna
Suchocka met with her Lithuanian counterpart, Bronislavas Lubys,
in a monastery near Suwalki on 7-January. The discussion focused
on economic and trade issues. The two prime ministers agreed
to set up a joint commission to begin work on a Polish-Lithuanian
free-trade zone. Poland also offered 2,000 tons of fuel oil to
help with heating shortages, PAP reports. Suchocka announced
that Poland will submit a draft of a bilateral treaty to Lithuania
within ten days. Although the two countries signed a cooperation
declaration in January 1992, friction over the position of the
Polish minority in Lithuania has so far impeded the conclusion
of a full treaty. -Louisa Vinton

ROMANIA'S FORMER RULING PARTY FORMS SHADOW CABINET. The National
Salvation Front announced on 7 September that it has formed a
shadow cabinet to offer an alternative government and to fight
the economic crisis facing the country. NSF leader Petre Roman
said at a press conference that the move, which he described
as "a novelty" for Romania, is "not directed at undermining the
authority" of the current cabinet, which is dominated by the
rival Democratic National Salvation Front. He attacked it, however,
for "failing to tackle the country's major issues and for favoring
a slower pace of reforms." The members of the shadow cabinet
are NSF politicians who held senior jobs in Roman's former cabinet,
which was ousted in a wave of street violence in September 1991.
-Dan Ionescu

SLOVAK DEPUTIES ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO PRAGUE. A delegation of
the National Council of the Slovak Republic, headed by its Chairman
Ivan Gasparovic, paid an official visit to Prague on 7 January,
agencies report. The visit is the first of its kind since the
disintegration of Czechoslovakia. Representatives of the Czech
and Slovak parliaments stressed that the legislators from both
countries will cooperate closely in the future. CTK reported
that the leaders of the Czech and Slovak parliaments agreed to
set up joint commissions to oversee compliance with the bilateral
agreements signed between the two republican parliaments before
the split. Both sides concluded after the talks that the meeting
was held in a "very friendly atmosphere." -Jan Obrman

CZECH REPUBLIC BEGINS STAMPING BANK NOTES. Special stamps are
being placed on millions of bank notes to prepare for a possible
early monetary split between the independent Czech and Slovak
states, agencies reported on 7 January. Czech National Bank spokesman
Martin Svehla said in an interview with CTK that bank notes worth
20 to 30 billion koruny are currently being stamped and will
be stockpiled until they are needed. It was also reported by
Czech media that new bank notes are being printed but that it
might take several months before they are available. Before 31-December
the two republican governments agreed to maintain a common currency
for the time being, without determining a date for the introduction
of separate currencies. Czech officials called on the republic's
population to withdraw as little money as possible from their
accounts to make the transition smooth. Slovakia has also initiated
the first steps toward a monetary split. -Jan Obrman

COMMERCIAL BANK PRESIDENT SACKED IN ESTONIA. The commission charged
with liquidating the Tartu Commercial Bank sacked that bank's
president on 7 January, BNS reports. The commission relieved
Rein Kaarepere of his duties, and also fired Mart Mikker, manager
of the bank's Haapsalu branch. Mikker simultaneously served as
CEO of another bank, the Bank of Tallinn. -Riina Kionka

ESTONIAN HARD CURRENCY RESERVES GROW. The Estonian Central Bank
reports an increase of some 157 million kroon (about $12 million)
in hard currency reserves in December. According to BNS of 7
January, hard currency reserves have increased by 1.3-billion
kroon since the currency reform in June. -Riina Kionka

BANK OF LATVIA TO REORGANIZE. BNS reported on 7 January that
the Supreme Council Presidium has endorsed regulations governing
the reorganization committee of the Bank of Latvia. The committee
will oversee the privatization process of the bank. Since mid-1992
the bank has suffered losses of several billion Latvian rubles
in its dealings with the ruble-based CIS states, while making
a profit from purchasing and selling operations of foreign currency.
-Dzintra Bungs

VAGNORIUS CRITICIZES MONEY DEVALUATION. On 6 January at a news
briefing at the Seimas former Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas
Vagnorius deplored the devaluation of the coupon (Lithuania's
provisional money), whose value with respect to the dollar had
decreased by about 50% between 30 October and 30 December, BNS
reported on 7 January. He accused the Bank of Lithuania of issuing
six billion coupons in December without consulting the government
and the Seimas. Bank president Vilius Baldisis told the Seimas
on 5 January that the coupons had been issued after coordination
with IMF experts and in accordance with the principles of the
Lithuanian economic policy memorandum that the IMF had approved.
-Saulius Girnius

COUNTERFEIT COUPONS IN LITHUANIA. Baltfax reported on 7 January
that Lithuania has been inundated with counterfeit coupons, especially
of the 500-unit value (the largest sum issued). It is difficult
to distinguish the counterfeit bills from the real ones since
they are produced by the same offset method and differ only by
the absence of a watermark. -Saulius Girnius

LITHUANIAN GOVERNMENT ADVISOR ON CATHOLIC CHURCH. Cardinal Vincentas
Sladkevicius has suggested former head of the Lithuanian Security
Service Petras Plumpa for the post of government advisor on problems
of the Catholic Church, BNS reported on 7-January. Prime Minister
Bronislavas Lubys had previously asked the Lithuanian Conference
of Bishops to nominate a candidate. Plumpa was an active dissident
and was imprisoned in 1973-81 for duplicating the underground
publication, Chronicle of the Lithuanian Catholic Church. The
Seimas has named former Supreme Council deputy Jurgis Jurgelis
as director-general of the Lithuanian Security Service. -Saulius
Girnius

LATVIA CONFISCATES EX-SOVIET NAVAL VESSEL. Baltfax on 7 January
reported that Latvian customs officials that day confiscated
the former Soviet spy ship Zond for illegally entering Latvian
territorial waters in mid-December. Zond is a 700-ton converted
trawler used as an intelligence collection ship by the Soviet
Navy. It was built in East Germany in the 1960s. In November
the Latvians accused Russia of using the naval base in Bolderaja
as a trading port without paying the proper taxes. Zond anchored
at the base on 14-December. On 28 December BNS reported that
the chief of staff of the Russian Baltic Fleet denied that the
ship belongs to the Baltic Fleet. -Doug Clarke

US UNDERLINES PRIORITIES WITH UKRAINE. State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher indicated that American officials told visiting
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk that Ukraine
must ratify the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and join
the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) before security assurances
and financial aid can be discussed. Boucher's 7 January press
briefing was reported by Western agencies. Tarasyuk is in Washington
to explain Ukraine's position on nuclear disarmament. He is expected
to meet President George Bush on 8 January. In a statement issued
by the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington and quoted by Reuters,
Tarasyuk said that "Ukraine continues to receive only negative
impulses from the West, pushing it to accede to the NPT and scrap
nuclear weapons instead of getting real assistance in nuclear
disarmament." -Doug Clarke

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN UKRAINE. For the second year running,
Christmas (marked on 7 January according to the Julian calendar)
was a public holiday in Ukraine and the Ukrainian media, especially
television, have helped to create a seasonal spirit. Observers
point out, however, that the celebrations are overshadowed by
the deep economic crisis in which Ukraine finds itself and the
bitter split between Ukrainian Orthodox believers into two camps:
supporters of an independent Ukrainian church and those who have
remained loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate. -Bohdan Nahaylo

UKRAINIAN ATTITUDES TOWARD THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND CIS. The
results of two opinion polls published in Kiev on 6 January and
reported by Reuters show that many Ukrainians regret the collapse
of the Soviet Union because of the economic hardship it has brought
but nevertheless strongly oppose the restoration of the USSR.
According to a survey taken by the Kiev International Sociological
Center, 52% of respondents view the collapse of the Soviet Union
as a "great tragedy"; most singled out the steep price rises
in Ukraine during 1992 as the main reason for thinking so. On
the other hand, according to a poll carried out by the Russian-language
former Communist Party daily, Pravda Ukrainy, only 5.9% of those
questioned want to see the Soviet Union revived. Just over one
fifth, 22.3%, want Ukraine to withdraw from the CIS. Furthermore,
on 7-January, Ukrainian TV reported that the latest opinion polls
show strong support for for an acceleration of economic and political
reform and for Ukraine's withdrawal from the CIS.-Bohdan Nahaylo


SNEGUR ON MOLDOVAN INDEPENDENCE. Snegur told Molodezh Moldovy
of 7 January, as cited by Basapress, that recent statements by
Romanian officials pressing for Romanian-Moldovan unification
prompted him to suggest that the issue be put to a referendum
(which antiunification forces are expected to win heavily). Snegur
singled out for criticism the latest in the series of those statements,
one made by Romania's intelligence chief Virgil Magureanu, who
was quoted as saying that his service "is doing everything" for
unification. Snegur urged all politicians to keep in closer touch
with the people of Moldova and ascertain its views on the matter.
-Vladimir Socor

BELARUSIAN DELEGATION VISITS CHINA. On 8-January Parliament Chairman
Stanislau Shushkevich, began a five-day visit to China, Belinform
and TASS report. He is accompanied by the Foreign Minister Pyotr
Krauchenka The purpose of the trip is to discuss ways of broadening
bilateral ties and cooperation. -Bohdan Nahaylo

[As of 1200 CET] Compiled by Keith Bush and Charles Trumbull