No. 22, 03 February 1993

RUSSIA



RUSSIAN MINERS' STRIKE ACTION. Miners at the "Severnaya" mine
in Vorkuta, who were the first to begin the miners' strike in
1989, declared a strike alert on 31 January, according to ITAR-TASS
on the same day. The strike warning was issued when the Ministry
of Fuel and Energy failed respond to their demands. The miners
are demanding indexation of their wages to inflation, regular
wage payments, a new tariff agreement for 1993, and the adoption
of a law on the north. The miners are also calling for the privatization
of the coal industry, and in particular would like the "Severnaya"
mine to be taken over by the work collective. ITAR-TASS also
reported on 1-February that miners in another mine, the "Vorgashorskaya"
in Vorkuta, have decided to stop their two month strike. The
work collective has decided to dismiss the manager, and has created
a special commission to prepare privatization. If attempts are
made to disrupt their privatization plans, the miners intend
resuming their strike. -Sheila Marnie

SPLIT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF RUSSIA? LEADERS OF THE LIBERAL WING
OF NIKOLAI TRAVKIN'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF RUSSIA (DPR), A MEMBER
OF THE INFLUENTIAL CENTRIST CIVIC UNION POLITICAL BLOC, ANNOUNCED
ON 1 FEBRUARY THAT THEY WERE PLANNING TO LEAVE THE DPR TO SET
UP THEIR OWN PARTY, ACCORDING TO A REPORT ON RADIO ROSSII. The
founding congress of the "Union of Progress of Russia" would
be held in mid-1993. Sergei Baidin, one of the leaders of the
new body, told a NEGA correspondent that it included among its
aims the establishment of a presidential republic with a clear
delimitation of powers, and the development of a strong Russian
middle class. -Wendy Slater

PAVLOV DESCRIBES DUPING WESTERN CREDITORS. Former Soviet Finance
Minister and participant in the failed coup of August 1991, Valentin
Pavlov, described in an interview with Sovetskaya Rossiya on
2-February how top Soviet officials maintained the myth of enormous
gold reserves that had long since been depleted. The ruse, he
claims, was effective in supporting the Soviet Union's credit
rating and therewith encouraging large amounts of financial assistance
and investment from the West. Well-known economist Grigorii Yavlinsky
was the first to reveal the true state of the Soviet Union's
gold reserves-less than a fourth of what was generally assumed-
in September 1991. "Yavlinsky...inflicted a death blow to the
economy of the country, its balance of payments and trust in
us [by] opening his mouth," Pavlov said. Pavlov also used the
interview to rail against the government's current macro-economic
policy, the IMF and the "deception" of privatization -Erik Whitlock


NEW GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS. The 35 year old diplomat Sergei
Vybornov has been appointed chief of the new Department for International
Finance and Investment Cooperation of the Government Apparatus,
the daily Kommersant reported on 30 January. The new department
replaces the old government Department for Cooperation with International
Finance Organizations, created by former government head Egor
Gaidar. Vybornov's predecessor, economist Aleksei Mozhin, has
become Russia's representative to the IMF last November. The
reorganization of the department is a further indication of the
major overhaul taking place in the government under the new Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. The latter has also set up a personal
secretariat which will consist of 24 employees and an analytical
group of 12 officials. -Alexander Rahr

BUSINESSMEN SUPPORT YAVLINSKY. Some well-known Russian businessmen
have founded a political coalition "Entrepreneurs' political
initiative" in order to support reformist forces, Kommersant
reported on 2 February. The leadership of the coalition met with
former State Secretary Gennadii Burbulis and Moscow mayor Yurii
Luzhkov to discuss joint political action. The coalition also
seeks cooperation with centrist forces in the parliament, such
as the "Smena" faction. Plans for 1993 include support for the
return of economist Grigorii Yavlinsky into politics. Businessmen
praise Yavlinsky's successful regional economic reform experiment
in Nizhnii Novgorod, which they think should be extended to other
regions. The coalition wants to finance Yavlinsky's political
campaign. -Alexander Rahr

POLL INDICATES YELTSIN STILL MOST TRUSTED RUSSIAN POLITICIAN.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin remains the most trusted politician
in Russia, according to an opinion poll conducted by the All-Russian
Center for the Study of Public Opinion, published by the independent
news agency Ezhednevnaya glasnost on 30 January. Of the 1,640
people questioned, 22% still trust him, a substantial decrease
in his popularity rating compared to least year. 50% of pro-Yeltsin
respondents are new entrepreneurs. Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi
is trusted by 18% of the respondents; Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin
by 9%. The fourth most trusted politician is the head of the
Democratic Party, Nikolai Travkin (6%). He is followed by parliamentary
speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov (5%), and ex-Soviet President Mikhail
Gorbachev (4%). It should be noted that other recent polls have
indicated a much lower approval rating for President Yeltsin
and much higher support for Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi.
-Alexander Rahr and Vera Tolz

LEADING RUSSIANS CRITICIZE WESTERN DISINTEREST IN RUSSIA. The
deputy chief of Germany's ruling CDU-CSU faction, Karl-Heinz
Hornhues, said after talks in Moscow that Germany should demonstrate
to Russia that Germany is still concerned about it. Hornhues
said that he received the impression through meetings with Russian
First Deputy Foreign Minister Anatolii Adamishin, Security Council
Secretary Yurii Skokov, and Mikhail Gorbachev that Russia was
very disappointed with the West's apparent lack of interest in
Russia, and especially with that of the United States, the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung reported on 2 February. -Suzanne Crow

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



RUSSIAN DIVISION COULD BE BASIS FOR TAJIK ARMY. The Russian 201st
Motorized Division that has been stationed in Tajikistan throughout
that country's six- month civil war could become the basis for
a national army in the Central Asian state, ITAR-TASS reported
on 2 February. Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev is scheduled
to visit Tajikistan later in the week to discuss the status of
the division, which recently started recruiting citizens of Tajikistan
into its ranks. In January the Tajik government announced that
irregular units loyal to the pro-Communist side in the civil
war would form the basis for a national army. -Bess Brown

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER FIRED. On 2 February Armenian President
Levon Ter- Petrossyan signed a decree dismissing his prime minister,
Khosrow Arutyunyan, for committing what was termed "a gross violation
of etiquette" in criticizing the government's draft budget and
economic plan for 1993 during a parliament debate, Western agencies
reported. Arutyunyan's first deputy, Grant Bagratyan, who advocates
radical reform and a swift transition to a market economy, has
been appointed acting prime minister; a new government will be
formed within a week. Arutyunyan's predecessor as prime minister
had similarly threatened to resign in April 1992, when the Armenian
parliament twice rejected his proposed plan for socio-economic
development. -Liz Fuller

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



CONTROVERSY CONTINUES OVER PEACE PLAN FOR BOSNIA. Major American
dailies on 3 February report that EC negotiator Lord Owen has
called on Washington to back the plan drawn up by him and UN
special envoy Cyrus Vance for the ex-Yugoslav republic. The Clinton
administration is still reviewing policy options on Bosnia, and
Secretary of State Warren Christopher has expressed some doubts
about the Vance-Owen plan. The warring Bosnian parties open talks
at the UN in New York on 4 February, as do representatives of
both Croatia and its 12% Serbian minority. Supporters of the
Vance- Owen proposal to divide Bosnia into ten cantons with a
loose central government argue that it is the only workable plan
under consideration. They point to the reluctance of the international
community to propose alternatives or undertake military intervention
to force the Serbs to give up their conquests. Critics charge
that the plan sanctions the gains the Serbs have made through
ethnic cleansing. Meanwhile, Newsday says that all three sides
are trying to consolidate their positions on the ground. -Patrick
Moore

"YUGOSLAV" ARMY THREATENS TO INTERVENE IN CROATIA. Tanjug and
Western news agencies on 2 February quoted rump Yugoslav Foreign
Minister Ilija Djukic as saying that his government's troops
could intervene in Croatia if Croats continue to attack the Serbian-held
Krajina region or expand their campaign into Slavonia. The ex-
Yugoslav military are part of the complex grouping of forces
that have systematically worked together to establish a greater
Serbian state ever since the Serbs began fighting in Croatia
and Slovenia in 1991. Meanwhile, international media reported
that the army has a more immediate task on its hands and has
sent busses and drivers to provide public transportation in Belgrade.
Some 2,000 public transportation workers staged a warning strike
to demand higher pay and indexing to keep up with inflation.
Rump Yugoslavia has an unemployment rate of 25% and an annual
inflation rate of 20,000%. -Patrick Moore

DANUBE SAGA. A meeting of Romanian and Ukrainian representatives
will be held on 4-February in Odessa to discuss the UN embargo
against oil shipments to rump Yugoslavia, Radio Bucharest reports.
Rompres said that Romanian port authorities in Braila and Giurgiu
continue to detain ten Serbian barges, most loaded with oil.
Serb authorities detained four Romanian naval transports but
later decided to let the ships continue on their route. officials
of several Romanian ministries and the custom service discussed
the embargo with Minister of State Dan Mircea Popescu, including
taking delivery on the motorboats and surveillance systems offered
by the US. Returning from Brussels, Prime Minister Nicolae Vacaroiu
said on 2 February that the EC has offered to help Romania enforce
the UN sanctions and Reuters reports EC official Hans van den
Broek promised to provide Romania with equipment to apply the
sanctions. Michael Shafir

GREECE TILTING TOWARD ACCOMMODATION ON MACEDONIA'S NAME? UPON
HIS RETURN FROM AN EC FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING IN BRUSSELS
ON 2 FEBRUARY, GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER MIHALIS PAPAKONSTANTINOU
STATED THAT GREECE IS AGAINST INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA "BY THE NAME MACEDONIA EXCLUSIVELY," AFP
REPORTS. Some observers regard this as a subtle signal that Greece
may be prepared to compromise on the name issue. -Duncan Perry


CZECH, SLOVAK PARLIAMENTS APPROVE CURRENCY SPLIT. The parliaments
of the Czech and Slovak Republics approved on 2 February laws
on the separation of Czech and Slovak currencies. Under the laws,
for every adult banks and post offices will exchange a maximum
of 4,000 Czechoslovak koruny, the currency currently used by
both states, for currency bearing government stamps. CTK reports
that a Czech government decree issued after the adoption of the
law specifies that the exchange in the Czech Republic will start
on 4-February; the currency split itself will occur on 8 February.
Czech Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik told parliament that ending
use of the Czechoslovak koruna as the common currency with Slovakia
had been made necessary by divergent economic developments in
the two republics. Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and Slovak
Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar appeared on their respective national
television programs to announce the split. -Jiri Pehe

HAVEL INAUGURATED. Vaclav Havel, elected to the post of Czech
President on 26 January, took oath of office on 2 February at
a ceremony at Prague Castle. Austrian President Thomas Klestil,
Polish President Lech Walesa, Hungarian President Arpad Goncz,
German President Richard von WeizsŠcker, and Slovak Deputy Prime
Minister Roman Kovac attended the ceremony. CTK reports that
following the ceremony Walesa and Goncz met to discuss Polish-Hungarian
relations and the future of the "Visegrad Quadrangle." -Jiri
Pehe

SPLIT IN SLOVAKIA'S RULING PARTY DEEPENS. Slovak Radio reported
on 2 February that the leadership of the ruling Movement for
a Democratic Slovakia will meet on 6-February to discuss recent
statements made by Slovak Foreign Minister Milan Knazko and Rudolf
Filkus, members of the party's leadership. Knazko and Filkus
have been critical of developments in the party, which is headed
by Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar. At a press conference
after a meeting of the party leadership on 2 February, Filkus
told reporters that the party finds itself "at a crossroads."
He warned that the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia could become
a party that is trying to accumulate power and create tensions.
In Filkus's opinion, the party should strive for a broad coalition
with other parties and observe political agreements. In a statement
given to CTK on 2 February, Filkus and Knazko echoed Filkus's
earlier statements. They said that both of them favor a party
based on democratic principles. -Jiri Pehe

CONTROVERSY OVER INDEPENDENT CZECH TV CHANNEL. The 30 January
decision of an independent board supervising Czech Radio and
Television to allow an independent broadcasting company, CET
21, to become the principal TV broadcaster on the second channel
currently used by Czech TV has led to a heated controversy. On
1 February, Mark Palmer-former adviser to President Ronald Reagan,
later the US Ambassador to Hungary, and currently the president
of CEDC, a US-based broadcasting corporation that backs the CET
21-project-told reporters that Czech TV should apologize to him
for some of the negative comments it carried after the licensing
of CET 21 was officially announced. Palmer said that the existence
of independent press and TV "is the best guarantee of democracy."
Vladimir Zelezny, a Czech representative of CET 21, told reporters
that CET 21 is backed by personalities "who represent the best
and most democratic circles among Western conservatives." Also
on the 1st, the ruling Civic Democratic Party released a statement
in which it asked the independent radio and TV board to reconsider
its decision, terming it "hasty and politically dangerous." The
statement says that the fact that people such as Palmer or Fedor
Gal (the former chairman of the Slovak Public against Violence)
are among the representatives of CET 21 "has politicized the
whole matter" and could lead to "anti-Hungarian and anti-Slovak
TV broadcasts in the Czech Republic. -Jiri Pehe

HUNGARY-EFTA ACCORD INITIALED. The multilateral agreement between
the European Free Trade Association and Hungary was initialed
in Geneva on 2 February, MTI reports. According to Minister of
International Economic Relations Bela Kadar, Hungary has so far
signed bilateral accords regulating agricultural products with
five EFTA members and hopes to reach agreement within a month
with the sixth, Austria. -Alfred Reisch

HUNGARY STARTS DISMANTLING NAGYMAROS PROJECT. Works to restore
the original state of Hungary's partly completed site of the
joint Danube dam and power plant project with the former Czechoslovakia
began at Nagymaros on 2 February, MTI announced. The task will
cost 7 billion forint (about $90 million), with the dismantling
of the dam itself scheduled to begin in 1994. Julius Binder,
director of the Slovak enterprise building the Gabcikovo waterworks,
told Slovak Radio on 1 February that Hungary has no right to
demolish the facility since the entire dam matter is to be turned
over to the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Talks
between Hungarian and Slovak legal and hydrological experts are
scheduled to take place in Budapest on 4 February to hammer out
the joint request to the court. -Alfred Reisch

BULGARIA'S TOP BANKER SUBMITS RESIGNATION. Todor Valchev, head
of the Bulgarian National Bank, has tendered his resignation,
Bulgarian dailies reported on 2 February. It is the second time
in less than one year that the 70-year-old chief banker has offered
to step down. Last summer the National Assembly refused to accept
Valchev's resignation following allegations of corruption. At
a press conference last week he alleged that the Podkrepa trade
union and the First Private Bank had tried to influence BNB policies,
but he later declined to comment on the subject. Valchev said
he plans to stay on until the summer so that parliament will
have sufficient time to find a suitable successor. -Kjell Engelbrekt


POLISH COALITION FRETS OVER BUDGET. The Sejm leadership announced
that a special session devoted to the 1993 budget will be held
on 12 February. The seven-party governing coalition met on 2-February
for the second time in a week to stress the need for "100% discipline"
in defending the government's proposals. To mollify the liberals,
the coalition decided to forego raising the highest income tax
bracket from 40% to 50%. A spokesman described as "speculation"
rumors that Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka is planning to link
the budget vote to a vote of confidence in the government. In
other parliamentary news, two senators were stopped by police
on 2 February but refused to take a drunk-driving test, citing
their immunity from prosecution. A number of similar incidents
have occurred in recent months. Meanwhile, Deputy Sejm Speaker
Andrzej Kern announced he will not give up his leadership post,
despite criticism arising from two scandals: his alleged attempt
to induce a Lodz prosecutor to press charges against his daughter's
boyfriend when his daughter ran away from home, and allegations
by the author of a steamy best-seller on the private lives of
parliamentarians, Erotic Immunities, that he forced her to have
sex with him. -Louisa Vinton

ROMANIA PRODUCING NUCLEAR FUEL. Officials say Romania is producing
fuel for its first nuclear reactor, which is expected to start
operating at Cernavoda in 1994. The general manager of Renel,
the official electricity authority, told Reuters on 1-February
that Romania can produce about 180 tons of uranium fuel per year.
Another Renel official quoted by Rompres said the fuel is manufactured
at the plant at Pitesti. Operation of the reactor at Cernavoda
depends on the supply of heavy water, which will be produced
to a large extent by a plant at Drobeta-Turnu Severin, with the
rest of needed heavy water purchased elsewhere, he added. -Michael
Shafir

UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT BEGINS NEW SESSION. The seventh session
of the Ukrainian parliament opened on 2 February with the economy
as the first item on the agenda, Radio Ukraine and ITAR-TASS
report. Lawmakers heard Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Economics Viktor Pynzennyk present the government's proposed
measures on the economy for the current year. Some deputies are
reported to have criticized the plan, although it is said to
have overall support. A parliamentary decree adopted last fall
allows the government to undertake economic reform measures without
parliamentary approval. -Roman Solchanyk 

TURKEY PLAYING "CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE" IN MOLDOVA. Moldova's
presidential office has told the
RFE/RL Research Institute that Turkey is playing a "constructive
role" in encouraging the Gagauz to settle for the autonomy offered
by Chisinau as opposed to a Gagauz republic, as demanded by the
Russian-oriented intransigent faction. In a success for the moderates,
the Gagauz leadership resolved on 29-January to change Gagauz
writing from Cyrillic to Latin script, thus facilitating improved
ties with both Chisinau and Turkey, and formed a delegation to
complete negotiations with Chisinau over a draft autonomy statute
now found broadly acceptable by both sides. Turkey announced
on 30 January that it will dispatch a convoy of humanitarian
aid to Moldova, most of it destined for the Gagauz-inhabited
area. -Vladimir Socor

GEORGIA, MOLDOVA ON ABKHAZIA-"DNIESTER" ALLIANCE. In similarly
worded statements reported by ITAR-TASS and Basapress on 29 and
30 January, the Georgian and Moldovan foreign ministries said
that the Abkhazia-"Dniester" alliance treaty just signed in Tiraspol
promotes armed conflict, seeks to consolidate unlawful power
structures within states, and violates national and international
law as well as the spirit and goals of the UN and the CSCE. The
precedent being set is potentially dangerous to the international
system as a whole, the statements said. -Vladimir Socor

LITHUANIAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. With less than two weeks left
before the 14-February elections for Lithuania's president, candidates
Algirdas Brazauskas and Stasys Lozoraitis have been campaigning
actively throughout the republic. Academician Raimundas Rajeckas
heads the Brazauskas's campaign team, while Valdas Adamkus, an
official of the US Environment Protection Agency, leads the Lozoraitis
campaign. On 2 February Social Democratic Party leaders called
for a broad coalition with Lozoraitis as president and Brazauskas
as prime minister, the RFE/RL Lithuanian Service reports. Election
polls indicate that Brazauskas is running ahead except in Kaunas.
-Saulius Girnius

LITHUANIAN GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS. The government announced
the formation of an eleven-member state delegation for negotiations
on trade and economic cooperation for 1993 with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
and Kyrgyzstan, BNS reported on 2 February. It is headed by Minister
of Industry and Trade Albertas Sinevicius. Also appointed were
representatives to various international organizations: Foreign
Affairs Minister Povilas Gylys to the EC's PHARE program, Bank
of Lithuania Chairman Vilius Baldisis to the IMF, and Finance
Minister Eduardas Vilkelis to the World Bank and EBRD. Economics
Minister Julius Veselka was appointed deputy representative to
all four organizations. -Saulius Girnius

LITHUANIAN LIBERAL UNION CONGRESS. On 30-January the Lithuanian
Liberal Union held an extraordinary Congress at which its chairman,
philosopher Vytautas Radzvilas, proposed that businessman Sarunas
Davainis replace him as party leader, the RFE/RL Lithuanian Service
reported on 31 January. The Congress approved the proposal and
made other amendments to the union's statutes. The change in
leadership will help the union, which failed to have any of its
candidates elected to the Seimas, focus more on practical work
of bringing its ideas to the general public instead of intellectual
work on the idea of liberalism. Radzvilas was reelected to the
union's council and will probably remain in charge of its ideology.
-Saulius Girnius

VILNIUS ASKS FOR PARFENOV. Lithuanian prosecutor's office investigator
Antanas Stepucinskas says that Lithuania will ask Latvia to hand
over Sergei Parfenov, former OMON deputy commander in Riga, for
questioning on the destruction of the Lithuanian customs post
at Smelyne on 23 May 1991, BNS reported on 1 February. Latvian
Procurator General Janis Skrastins said that a formal request
for extradition has not been received from Lithuania, but if
such a request is made and it is well founded, the response may
be positive, Diena reported on 1 February. Parfenov was sentenced
to two years imprisonment on 14 December 1992, but according
to the provisions of the Latvian-Russian protocol on the extradition
of criminals signed on 16 January 1993, he might be allowed to
serve his sentence in Russia. -Saulius Girnius & Dzintra Bungs


LATVIANS MAY DECLINE CITIZENSHIP. Latvians may now either choose
or refuse citizenship. On 2-February the Supreme Council decided
that those residents of Latvia who qualify for citizenship may
decline that citizenship, Diena reports. The deputies, filling
one of several gaps in the citizenship laws, approved a temporary
procedure whereby a citizen may request to have his citizenship
revoked. -Dzintra Bungs

SEVENTEEN RUSSIAN VESSELS SUNK IN LATVIAN HARBORS. BNS reported
that 12 ships and 5 submarines of the Russian navy sunk in Latvian
harbors during the storms in January. The Latvian environmental
protection commission is demanding the Russian navy to pay fines
of $5000 for not informing the Latvian authorities about the
sunken vessels and the resultant oil spills. The commission also
said that the possibility that the vessels had been sunk on purpose
by the navy also cannot be ruled out, since naval officials had
described them as being in poor condition. The commission also
ordered the Latvian sea inspectorate to clean up the damage but
the inspectorate cannot comply due to lack of necessary equipment.
-Dzintra Bungs

RUSSIAN ASSEMBLY CHAIRMAN: ESTONIAN CITIZENSHIP LAW IS OK. The
chairman of the newly established Russian-Speakers' Representative
Assembly in Estonia says Estonia's citizenship law does not discriminate
against immigrants, according to Hommikuleht of 2-February. "It's
more a question of the limitation of the interests of noncitizens,"
Nikola Yugantsev told reporters. The Assembly was established
last week by Russian-speakers in Estonia as a lawful means to
influence politics. -Riina Kionka

MOSCOW MAN ASKS ESTONIA FOR ASYLUM. A Russian from Moscow has
applied for political asylum at the Estonian embassy in that
city, BNS reported on 2 February. The young man was hoping to
avoid a possible conviction for evading the draft in Russia.
Embassy authorities have reportedly turned down the request.
-Riina Kionka

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Hal Kosiba and Charles Trumbull