No. 14, 22 January 1993

INTERREGIONAL


FULL TURNOUT FOR CIS SUMMIT. The heads of states of all ten CIS
member-states are attending the CIS summit that opened in Minsk
on 22 January, the CIS media reported. Azerbaijan has also sent
observers. At a meeting of the CIS prime ministers prior to the
meeting of the heads of states, the prime ministers approved
the draft CIS charter, which is to be the main item on the summit's
agenda, and also the principles of establishing an interstate
bank, with one amendment that will give Russia 50% of the vote.
The original draft provided for one vote per member-state. On
arrival in Minsk several heads of state said they would sign
the draft charter. Ann Sheehy

KOZYREV ON CIS SUMMIT AND DOCTRINE. Russian Foreign Minister
Andrei Kozyrev said on 21 January that the Minks CIS summit will
be a milestone in the history of the CIS. Kozyrev said Boris
Yeltsin will make proposals for a sort of CIS "doctrine" which
would "bring the different viewpoints to a common denominator
once again," Interfax reported. Suzanne Crow


RUSSIA



RUSSIA'S CLAIM TO CONTROL ALL CIS NUCLEAR WEAPONS REJECTED. The
21-January meeting of the CIS Nuclear Policy Committee failed
to solve the ongoing argument over ownership and control of the
former Soviet strategic nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus,
Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Russia insists that these weapons can
only belong to one country-itself. Appearing on the "Vesti" newscast,
Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev said that he was convinced
that all nuclear troops were completely subordinate to him. However,
others indicated that only Belarus accepted the Russian position.
Kazakh Defense Minister Sagadat Nurmagambetov would not agree
that the weapons in Kazakhstan were under Russian control while
Ukrainian First Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Bizhan told Interfax
that "Ukraine must retain administrative control [of the nuclear
weapons.] -Doug Clarke

RUSSIAN DEPUTIES' FACTIONS, MOVEMENTS CALL FOR CIS INTEGRATION.
The Political Council of the Civic Union and the Executive Committee
of the International Movement for Democratic Reform have, in
separate statements, called upon CIS leaders to avoid missing
the last chance to strengthen the CIS at the Minsk summit, ITAR-TASS
reported on 21 January. The International Movement for Democratic
Reform recommended the formation of a new Eurasian Commonwealth
on the territory of the former USSR. The conservative deputies'
bloc "Russian Unity" also spoke out in favor of the reunification
of all former Soviet republics. Its call was supported by the
National Salvation Front. Alexander Rahr

RUSSIA WILL KEEP CONTROL OF FORMER USSR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS.
Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev told Interfax on 21 January
that the question of military satellite communications had been
removed from the agenda of the CIS Defense Minister Council at
Russia's initiative. He said that Russia alone should control
space communications and other members of the CIS wishing to
use these facilities should conclude bilateral agreements with
Russia. Grachev turned down the idea that space communications
might be controlled by the CIS Joint Armed Forces. In an RIA
interview he explained that "communications satellites are Russian,
and controlled from Russia. Why should we pass this control to
the [Joint Armed Forces]?" Doug Clarke

RUSSIAN AND TATARSTAN PRESIDENTS MEET. Russian President Boris
Yeltsin and Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev met in Moscow
on 21 January to discuss the draft treaty between Russia and
Tatarstan on the mutual delegation of powers, ITAR-TASS reported.
It was the first time the two had met to discuss the treaty.
No agreement appears to have been reached on the substantive
question of Tatarstan's status vis-a-vis the Russian Federation.
It was decided instead to try and reach agreement first on economic,
ecological and other subsidiary matters. -Ann Sheehy

RUSSIAN-MONGOLIAN TREATY SIGNED IN MOSCOW. The official visit
of Mongolian President Punsalmaagiyn Ochirbat ended on 21 January.
During Ochirbat's three days in Moscow, Russia and Mongolia signed
a treaty of friendship and cooperation and several intergovernmental
agreements on trade, economic cooperation, and customs. The two
presidents also signed a joint communique which expressed deep
regret over the victims of Stalin's repressions and called for
measures to uncover the historical truth of those crimes, ITAR-TASS
reported. According to a Reuters report of 20-January, the treaty
says neither country would participate in any alliances aimed
against the other or enter any similar pacts with third countries.
-Suzanne Crow

RUSSIAN DEPUTIES FORCE HUNGARIAN TREATY OFF AGENDA. Controversy
erupted at the Russian parliament on 21 January over the question
of an amendment to the Russo-Hungarian treaty of friendship.
The amendment, which was contained in an exchange of letters
by the Russian and Hungarian foreign ministers, referred to the
two countries' "mutual desire to overcome the legacy of totalitarianism,
especially that of the invasion of Hungary in 1956." According
to an Interfax report, some deputies said they opposed the amendment
on the grounds that Hungary was one of Germany's allies in World
War Two. One deputy was quoted as saying that "Russia is constantly
apologizing, bowing and scraping to the rest of the world." The
same deputy added that Russia should not be held responsible
for the mistakes and crimes of the Soviet government. Subsequently,
the treaty, signed on 6 December 1992, was removed from the agenda.
-Suzanne Crow

RUSSIAN COSSACKS CHAFFING OVER DELAY. Vladimir Naumov, a field
chieftain from the Cossack Union-the largest Cossack association
in Russia-told Interfax on 21 January that the Union would hold
a session in Moscow at the end of January. The main agenda item,
he said, would be "state service of Cossacks." Naumov complained
that a bill on Cossack military service in the Russian army and
border guards had been ready for a long time but, "for reasons
incomprehensible to Cossacks," President Yeltsin had not signed
it. He refused to give specific information on the bill "out
of state security considerations," but said that Cossack service
would become "a stabilizing factor and one of the key links in
averting the collapse of the Russian state." Doug Clarke

RUSSIAN ENERGY EXPORTS IN 1993. Interfax on 20-January published
what it claims to be the provisional planned exports of Russian
oil and gas in 1993. Final figures for planned exports were said
to be subject to the resolution of a dispute between the production
ministries and the Economics Ministry. The provisional quantities
for 1993 are, with 1992 outturns in parentheses: to former Soviet
republics, 56 million tons of oil (87.6-million tons) and 97
billion cubic meters of gas (109 billion cubic meters); to other
countries, 40-45 million tons of oil (66 million tons) and 109
billion cubic meters of gas (99 billion cubic meters). -Keith
Bush

CHANGES IN RUSSIAN TAXATION. In an interview with ITAR-TASS on
13 January, the first deputy head of the State Taxation Service
outlined the changes that have taken place in Russian taxation
laws effective 1-January. Enterprises in all branches of the
economy have been freed from taxes on the money they channel
into investment or into expansion and renovation of production
capacities. Value added tax rates have been reduced from a uniform
28% to 10% for foodstuffs and children's products, and 20% for
the rest. The same rates will apply to imported goods. Income
declarations are now mandatory for the estimated 10-million citizens
whose total annual income exceeds 200,000 rubles. Keith Bush


TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA


RUSSIA TO WITHDRAW PEACEKEEPING TROOPS FROM SOUTH OSSETIA, ABKHAZIA?
MOSCOW IS CONSIDERING WITHDRAWING THE RUSSIAN TROOPS WHICH CURRENTLY
FORM THE LARGEST CONTINGENT WITHIN THE TRIPARTITE PEACEKEEPING
FORCE DEPLOYED IN SOUTH OSSETIA, INTERFAX REPORTED ON 21 JANUARY,
QUOTING A SENIOR RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL, WHO CONCEDED
THAT THE LOCAL POPULATION WERE ALARMED AT A POSSIBLE RESUMPTION
OF HOSTILITIES. A second Interfax report quoted Feliks Kovalyov,
head of the Russian delegation to talks with Georgia, as stating
that for financial reasons Russia might also withdraw its peacekeeping
troops deployed in Abkhazia in accordance with the 3 September
agreement. Kovalyov said Russia would not object to the presence
of UN peacekeeping troops in Abkhazia but doubted whether this
was realistic. Liz Fuller

UZBEK OPPOSITION LEADER ON TRIAL IN TASHKENT. The trial of 
Abdumanap Pulatov, chairman of Uzbekistan's
Human Rights Association and younger brother of Abdurakhim Pulatov,
head of the major Uzbek opposition group Birlik, began in Tashkent
on 20 January, Interfax reported on 21 January. The younger Pulatov
is accused of having insulted Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
Uzbekistan is one of the CIS states that has adopted a law protecting
the dignity of the president. On 21 January, Birlik co-chairman
Shukrat Ismatullaev told an RFE/RL correspondent that the deputy
chairman of Uzbekistan's Peasants' Party, Olim Karimov, has been
arrested. Birlik leaders interpret the authorities' actions as
being part of a campaign to destroy the Uzbek opposition. Bess
Brown

AFGHAN MILITARY TRAINING FOR TAJIK OPPOSITION. Tajik Prime Minister
Abdumalik Abdullodzhonov told a press conference in Moscow on
21 January that there have been reports of ten training camps
in Afghanistan for supporters of Tajikistan's Islamic Renaissance
Party, Interfax reported. Russian border troops in Tajikistan
often reported during the fighting in the second half of 1992
that such camps existed in Afghanistan, funded by Afghan fundamentalist
leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Interfax quoted Russian border troop
officials in Dushanbe as saying on 21 January that some 500-Tajiks
have completed training in the Afghan camps and a "mass provocation"
against border installations is expected. Bess Brown

AZERBAIJANI PRIME MINISTER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 1993 ECONOMY, OIL.
The Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Ragim Guseinov, told Interfax
on 21 February that he expects the initial signs of stabilization
in the economy that appeared at the end of 1992 to become stronger
this year. Guseinov said that the country should experience positive
overall economic growth in 1993. GNP and industrial output in
Azerbaijan fell over 20% in 1992 according to official statistics.
Guseinov cited the oil sector as particularly promising. After
a 2% expansion this year, oil production should increase by 50%
in five and over 100% in ten years over 1992 levels. Erik Whitlock


KYRGYZSTAN TO OPEN EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM. During his official
visit to Israel, which ended on 21-January, Kyrgyzstan's President
Askar Akaev confirmed that his country's embassy will be located
in Jerusalem rather than Tel-Aviv, because, he said, Jerusalem
is Israel's capital. ITAR-TASS reported that Akaev had added
that he hoped Muslim states would understand the Kyrgyz decision,
and called for the Palestinian people to enjoy independence.
Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister Ednan Karabaev told Interfax on
21 January that his country's foreign policy priorities are relations
with Russia, China and the West, although Kyrgyzstan considers
itself "to a certain extent" part of the Muslim world and wants
good relations with the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Bess
Brown

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



BOSNIAN FIGHTING INTENSE. Despite the latest internationally-mediated
peace efforts and cease-fires, heavy fighting was reported on
21 January between Muslims, Serbs, and Croats in many areas of
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Muslim-Croat clashes continued on around
Gornji Vakuf, despite the cease-fire agreement signed on 20 January.
Radio Bosnia said the fighting continued unabated and accused
the Croat forces of shelling the town and reported that the Croatian
side is regrouping its forces around the central Bosnian town
of Vitez. Fighting escalated between Muslims and Croats in the
region of Kladanj and Gradacac, according to Radio Croatia. Bosnian
Croat leader Mate Boban stressed that the Croatian side wants
to end the conflict in "the speediest possible manner" but added
that Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic's refusal to meet with
him complicates matters. Meanwhile, Muslim commanders warned
that they will retaliate against any "new aggression" by HVO
extremists who are accused for having disrupted the Croat-Muslim
alliance against the Serbs. -Milan Andrejevich

GENEVA TALKS TO RESUME. The peace talks resume on 23 January.
According to Radio Serbia, Serbia's President Slobodan Milosevic
will accompany the Yugoslav delegation headed by federal President
Dobrica Cosic. Fred Eckhard, spokesman for UN- EC mediators Cyrus
Vance and Lord Owen, told reporters that the Bosnian Serbs must
cooperate in the talks without preconditions. The negotiations
will focus on the actual boundaries of the 10-proposed provinces
which the Serbs and Muslims are contesting. -Milan Andrejevich


SESELJ SEEKS COSIC'S RESIGNATION. Vojislav Seselj, head of the
Serbian Radical Party (SRS) told Radio Serbia on 21 January that
his party will demand the resignation of rump Yugoslav federal
President Dobrica Cosic if he fails to submit his resignation
by early next week. Seselj said he would like to help Cosic and
respects him as one of the first dissidents in the former communist
Yugoslavia and the first leader of the Serbian opposition. However,
Seselj also argued that Cosic has made some disastrous political
mistakes and has violated the federal constitutional on several
occasions over the past two months. Seselj admitted that the
SRS shares the blame for backing Cosic's election by the federal
assembly in June. He said "resignation is the easiest way for
Cosic to step down from his post while preserving a minimum of
dignity and honor that nobody would later question." Seselj warned
that Cosic will be facing an uphill battle in the federal assembly
if he does not resign. -Milan Andrejevich

COMPROMISE ON MACEDONIAN RECOGNITION? WESTERN AGENCIES REPORTED
ON 21-JANUARY THAT THE GREEK GOVERNMENT MIGHT BE PREPARED TO
COMPROMISE ON THE ISSUE OF RECOGNIZING THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA.
Faced with mounting pressure from within the EC, Greece, as a
first step, evidently may be willing to accept a "temporary solution,"
such as recognizing Macedonia as the "Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia," as the IMF is currently doing. Next, a compromise
would be sought at UN-led discussions between the Greek government
and Macedonian officials that would take place before the UN
General Assembly's meeting in September, when that body is expected
to vote on Macedonia's application for membership. -Duncan Perry


ANTALL COULD RESIGN IF NOT REELECTED HDF CHAIRMAN. In a letter
to the head of the nomination committee of the Hungarian Democratic
Forum at the party's weekend congress and published in Pesti
hirlap on 21 January, Prime Minister Jozsef Antall officially
declared his candidacy for the post of HDF chairman. He stressed,
however, that he received his mandate to lead the coalition government
as HDF chairman and promised to "draw the necessary governmental
consequences" should he fail to be reelected. Antall also warned
that "as HDF chairman I will be able to work only with a presidium
that pursues centrist policies and admits no demagoguery or political
irresponsibility, which would mean a disaster for the country."
HDF presidium member Istvan Csurka and followers, opponents of
Antall at the congress, have been demanding the separation of
the post of Hungarian prime minister from that of the party chairman.
An editorial by a Csurka supporter in Pesti hirlap on 20 January
hinted that while Csurka might not be of prime minister caliber,
he does have the qualities to be party chairman. Csurka formally
declared that he is not a candidate for chairman, but he and
his followers are hoping for a majority in the 20-member presidium.
-Edith Oltay

HUNGARIAN MEDIA WAR CONTINUES. According to a statement issued
by the prime minister's press office on 21 January, the directors
of radio and TV and now officially freed from their duties and
the deputy directors will assume their posts until new directors
are appointed, MTI reports. The radio and TV directors, however
dispute Antall's authority in this matter and maintain they have
not resigned and therefore remain in office until President Arpad
Goncz specifically relieves them of their duties. Antall's press
office said they find any new legal wrangle "unfortunate" and
declared that the resignations cannot be withdrawn unilaterally.
-Edith Oltay

CZECH, SLOVAK ECONOMIC EXPERTS MEET. A Czech delegation led by
Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik and a Slovak delegation led by
Finance Minister Julius Toth met in Cejkovice, southern Moravia,
on 21 January. Following the meeting Kocarnik told CTK that the
experts had solved most controversial points related to the division
of federal property and that an agreement on that issue could
be signed next week during a meeting between Czech and Slovak
prime ministers, if the prime ministers manage to solve the remaining
problems. One such problem is the fate of Slovakia's "golden
treasure"-some seven tons of gold collected during the existence
of the independent Slovak state between 1939 and 1945. Slovakia
demands the return of all the gold, while the Czech government
insists that it is federal property and should be divided between
the two republics. Experts who discussed customs practices at
the Czech-Slovak border agreed in Cejkovice that the current
special regime at the border should be abandoned and replaced
by controls based on established international practices. -Jiri
Pehe

WALESA PROPOSES BILL OF RIGHTS. Polish President Lech Walesa
presented his proposed Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the
Sejm on 21 January. Walesa said the charter is designed to anchor
basic civil rights in the Constitution and protect the public
from abuses of state power. "In the old legal system, law was
designed by the authorities for the authorities," Walesa said.
In contrast, the president said, the proposed charter would draw
a line that the authorities could not cross. Neutral in ideology,
it would guarantee basic rights considered unalienable and inviolable
by the entire civilized world. It would forbid censorship, guarantee
the right to privacy, ban the forced assimilation of ethnic minorities,
and enable 500,000 citizens to call a referendum to overturn
legislation. There was general support in the Sejm for Walesa's
charter, although some Catholic deputies argued that censorship
was a legitimate means to defend "religious feelings and honor."
There was widespread criticism, on the other hand, of an "economic
rights charter" proposed by the former communist deputies. -Louisa
Vinton

ALLEGATIONS CONTINUE TO DOG WALESA. There has been no let-up
in the campaign by disgruntled former officials to suggest that
President Walesa and his staff are tainted by collaboration with
the communist secret police. At a press conference on 21 January,
former presidential chief of staff Jaroslaw Kaczynski insinuated
that Walesa was the "Agent Bolek," whose files were unearthed
in its final days by the ousted government of Jan Olszewski.
Attempting to preempt such charges, Walesa made available to
the Sejm leadership tapes of recent conversations with communist
Internal Affairs Minister Czeslaw Kiszczak, who conceded that
the Bolek files were forgeries. Kaczynski responded by suggesting
that Walesa's reliance on Kiszczak's testimony confirmed the
president's guilt. Jan Parys, the defense minister ousted in
1992 for alleging that Walesa was plotting a coup, charged that
three further close Walesa aides, including his confessor, had
been secret police informants. Neither Parys nor Kaczynski presented
any evidence. Walesa asked journalists "why they paid attention
to such nonsense." -Louisa Vinton

ROMANIAN OPPOSITION SAYS ITS OFFICES BUGGED. Opposition politicians
said on 21-January that listening devices have been found in
their offices by reporters from the independent daily Evenimentul
zilei using detectors bought in the US. The politicians accused
the government and its intelligence service of being behind the
affair. Adrian Severin, deputy leader of the National Salvation
Front, told reporters that microphones were found in offices
belonging to his party and two other opposition groups. Emil
Constantinescu, chairman of the Democratic Convention of Romania
and spokesman for the Liberal Party-Young Wing confirmed the
findings. Constantinescu spoke of a "serious violation of the
law." -Dan Ionescu

IMF MISSION IN SOFIA. On 21 January Anoup Singh, the head of
the IMF mission to Bulgaria, said that he is confident that cooperation
between his organization and Bulgaria will continue, BTA reports.
At a press conference in Sofia Singh told reporters he is now
convinced that the new Bulgarian cabinet intends to speed up
economic reforms. He nevertheless reiterated the IMF's view that
both the budget deficit and annual inflation- 80% in 1992-will
need to be reduced. Finance Minister Stoyan Aleksandrov, who
recently criticized the IMF requirements as too rigid, said he
has agreed to boost budget revenues by raising prices on oil
products, alcohol, and tobacco as well as by making tax collection
more effective. In an interview with Reuters Prime Minister Lyuben
Berov pledged to cut inflation to 60-70% in 1993. The current
stand-by agreement with the IMF is due for renewal by end of
March. -Kjell Engelbrekt

UKRAINE CRITICIZES RUSSIA OVER SEVASTOPOL. Parliament Chairman
Ivan Plyushch has sent a letter to his Russian counterpart, Ruslan
Khasbulatov, accusing influential Russian politicians of attempting
to reanimate "the old empire and the old imperial policies,"
Ukrainian TV reported on 21 January. Plyushch's letter was in
reaction to the recent discussion of the status of the Crimean
city of Sevastopol in the Russian parliament. -Roman Solchanyk


UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT SPLIT. The special meeting of Parliament
on 20 January, which was convened under pressure from conservative
deputies from Ukraine's eastern and southern oblasts, failed
to gather a quorum and was qualified as a meeting of parliamentary
commissions. Reformist deputies grouped in the People's Council
fraction blocked Parliament's activities by not registering.
The same tactic were used when the lawmakers met on 21 January,
resulting in a walkout by delegations from Luhansk, Donetsk,
and other reegions. At issue are differences over the CIS, economic
reform, and accusations that former communists in the parliament
are intent on reversing the ban on the Communist Party. -Roman
Solchanyk

BELARUS TO INTRODUCE NEW CURRENCY REGULATIONS. According to Novosti
on 20-January, new regulations on the export and import of currency
will come into force in Belarus starting 1 February. Belarusian
citizens traveling to other nations of the ruble zone will be
able to take an unlimited amount of "Soviet" rubles, but only
a limited amount of Belarusian rubles out of the country. The
maximum amount of exportable Belarusian rubles will be equivalent
to three times the minimum wage. The quantity of "Soviet rubles"
non-CIS citizens can bring into Belarus will also be restricted.
-Erik Whitlock

MOLDOVAN OFFICIAL MAKES CASE AGAINST UNIFICATION. Writing in
Nezavisimaya Moldova of 19-January as cited by Basapress, Deputy
Foreign Trade Minister Artur Gherman, son-in-law of President
Mircea Snegur, listed historical, economic, and political concerns
in advising against unification with Romania. These include that
Moldova would find itself "at the discretion of a new 'center'
with regard to investments, credit, and technical assistance,
never getting a fair share"; Moldovans would again become "second-class
citizens"; local administrative and law enforcement bodies would
be replaced and run directly from Bucharest; the left bank of
the Dniester would be lost, and the right bank itself may be
turned into "another Transdniester" for Romania by an alienated
"Russian-speaking population" and also by pro-independence Moldovans;
and the situation would exacerbate tensions in Transylvania,
turning a Greater Romania into "a source of tension in Europe."
To avoid the fate of "a primitive country of chaos and lawlessness,"
Moldovans "must firmly consolidate [their] own statehood." -Vladimir
Socor

BRAZAUSKAS GIVES STATE OF NATION ADDRESS. As required by the
Constitution, on 21-January Acting President Algirdas Brazauskas
gave the annual state of the republic speech, which was broadcast
live over Radio Lithuania. In 1992, he said, the domestic political,
economic, and social situation has worsened, principally blaming
politicians who often give priority to narrow political interests.
He expressed concern about the way the IMF requirements were
being addressed by the authorities. Brazauskas's speech was filled
with statistics for 1992, notably a decrease of 39% in GNP from
1991 and an 11-fold growth in inflation. The country's greatest
foreign policy achievement, Brazauskas said, was the Helsinki
CSCE call for the withdrawal of the Soviet army. -Saulius Girnius


OPPOSITION STEPS UP PRESSURE ON ESTONIAN GOVERNMENT. The main
opposition faction in the Estonian State Assembly is charging
the ruling coalition with stymieing parliamentary progress. In
a statement carried by BNS on 21 January the opposition Center
faction accuses the ruling Pro Patria-led coalition of blocking
dialogue to the point of threatening democracy and independence.
For their part Pro Patria leaders say the Center faction is intentionally
stalling passage of the 1993 budget in order to force new elections
this spring. According to the Constitution, the president must
call for new elections if the parliament fails to pass a budget
within the first two months of the fiscal year, which begins
on 1 January. -Riina Kionka

ESTONIAN PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES SEA BORDER. After suspending discussion
on the subject last December, the Estonian State Assembly on
21 January restarted talks on a new government proposal concerning
the extent of Estonia's territorial waters, BNS reports. As a
gesture of goodwill to Finland, which maintains a 4-mile limit
in the Gulf of Finland, the new Estonian government proposal
foresees a 4-mile limit there as well, but the standard 12-mile
limit in other coastal areas. Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste
told reporters that no one has pressured Estonia to establish
a narrower sea border, rather the proposal was "unilateral and
voluntary." Proposals in Tallinn to proclaim the full 12-miles-
limit along the entire coast has caused considerable diplomatic
consternation in Finland. -Riina Kionka

CSCE COMMISSIONER ON MINORITY RIGHTS IN LATVIA. CSCE High Commissioner
on Minorities Max van der Stoel told Latvian Supreme Council
Chairman Anatolijs Gorbunovs and Foreign Minister Georgs Andrejevs
that he had not observed any abuses of ethnic minority rights
of non-Latvians who are citizens of the republic, but noted that
the status of residents whose future was yet undecided is a matter
of some concern, BNS reported on 21-January. The high commissioner
recommended that the citizenship law be adopted immediately after
the parliamentary elections and suggested publishing booklets
explaining the key legislation in easily understandable language.
-Dzintra Bungs

[As of1200 CET]

Compiled by Hal Kosiba & Charles Trumbull