No. 26, 09 February 1993

RUSSIA



ZORKIN OPPOSES REFERENDUM, CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS. Russian
television reported on 8 February that the chairman of the Russian
Constitutional Court may soon address the nation with an appeal
for a moratorium on holding the 11 April referendum on the principles
of a new Constitution for the Russian Federation. Valerii Zorkin
also reportedly suggested a moratorium on any amendments to the
existing Constitution, with the exception of one-namely, an amendment
to abolish the Russian Congress of People's Deputies and its
replacement with a two-chamber parliament to be elected by direct
vote. In an interview with RFE/RL, Zorkin explained that he believed
that the profound political and economic crisis in Russia made
this an inappropriate time to adopt a new Constitution. -Julia
Wishnevsky

DOUBTS OVER VALIDITY OF RUSSIAN REFERENDUM. The Chairman of the
commission entrusted with preparing the forthcoming referendum
on the principles of a new Russian Constitution, Vasilii Kazakov,
was reported by ITAR-TASS on 8 February as expressing doubts
over the consequences of such a plebiscite, if it went ahead
at all. He noted growing apathy among the population, and warned
of the possibility that less than half the electorate would approve
the new Constitution, even if no political forces or Russian
regions boycotted the vote. Giving details of preparations for
the referendum, Kazakov said that the wording of the questions
had to be approved by 11 March, and that the cost of holding
the referendum would be over 20 billion rubles. -Wendy Slater


KHASBULATOV CRITICAL OF PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION, REFERENDUM.
Russian parliamentary speaker, Ruslan Khasbulatov, addressing
a seminar for leaders of local soviets in the Russian Federation,
which opened in Moscow on 8 February, was quoted by ITAR-TASS
as saying that Russia currently had "two parallel structures
of executive power: the President and the government." Khasbulatov
criticized the Presidential administrative structures, which
he described as "unconstitutional," for exerting "strong pressure
on the constitutional executive power". He called for the forthcoming
referendum to include a question on holding early elections of
both President and people's deputies, while warning that to hold
a plebiscite on a new Constitution could "present a threat to
the integrity of the country." -Wendy Slater

PRIVATIZATION PROGRESSES. Russia's privatization program went
ahead with another spurt on 8 February when shares in the Moscow
GUM department store and several large factories in Volgograd
were offered for sale, Western press agencies reported. About
6,000 investors holding more than 100,000 of the government-issued
privatization vouchers were reported to have expressed interest
in buying shares in GUM. Investors were to receive seven shares
for every voucher. In Volgograd eight large and medium-sized
factories were put up for sale, including the city's largest
enterprise, a tractor factory employing 26,000 people. The Russian
government intends to privatize all small and medium sized enterprises
by the end of 1993, as well as 5,000 large ones. -Sheila Marnie


MINIMUM WAGE TO BE RAISED AGAIN? THE RUSSIAN MINISTER OF LABOR,
GENNADII MELIKYAN, HAS CALLED FOR THE MINIMUM WAGE TO BE RAISED
TO THE SAME LEVEL AS THE MINIMUM PENSION, ACCORDING TO KOMMERSANT
ON 6-FEBRUARY. The minimum wage was raised from 900 to 2,250
rubles a month on 1 January. This was more than double the previous
minimum wage but still not enough to compensate for inflation.
Minimum pensions were raised to 4,275 rubles a month from 1 February
and are to be indexed to inflation quarterly. The minimum subsistence
level for January was estimated at 5,200 rubles a month. Raising
the minimum wage would cost about 370 billion rubles, and would
serve to fuel inflation. According to ITAR-TASS on 5 February,
Melikyan claimed that, in the interest of social stability, the
population cannot be asked to suffer any further drop in living
standards. He suggested that social problems should be given
priority even at the expense of slowing the pace of economic
change. -Sheila Marnie

RUSSIAN FOREIGN TRADE DOWN, BUT HOW FAR? THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL
ECONOMIC RELATIONS AND THE RUSSIAN STATE COMMITTEE ON STATISTICS
(ROSKOMSTAT) HAVE ISSUED FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS THAT CONFIRM
A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN EXPORT AND IMPORT VOLUMES IN 1992. The
figures from the two offices do not match, however. Preliminary
figures from the Ministry, appearing in Finansovye Izvestiya
(#14), show exports at $45-billion, down 21.6% from last year.
Imports finished at $42 billion, down 5.6%. Although reporting
the same positive trade balance of about $3 billion for the year,
Roskomstat shows sharper declines in trade volumes: exports at
$38.1 billion or 25% lower than last year; and imports at $35
billion or down 21%. The Roskomstat figures appear in Ekonomika
i zhizn (#4). It is not clear why the two sets of figures contradict
one another. -Erik Whitlock

RUSSIAN ARMS EXPORT ORDERS FOR 1993. The Russian government has
placed orders for arms exports worth $2 billion in 1993, according
to the Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Industrial Committee
for the Defense Sector. ITAR-TASS reported on 5-February that
Gennadii Yampolsky had said that the figure represented a decline
from the $3 billion worth of exports ordered in 1992. The 1992
total itself represented a 70% reduction in defense orders when
matched against 1990 figures. Yampolsky compared the declining
Russian sales to the growing volume of arms income earned by
the US, but pointed to emerging associations of defense enterprises
in Russia as a positive sign that he felt would increase Moscow's
competitiveness. -Stephen Foye

MISSING SOVIET MILITARY HARDWARE? AN UNIDENTIFIED MEMBER OF THE
CSCE DELEGATION SUPERVISING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTIONAL
FORCES IN EUROPE (CFE) TREATY SAID ON 5-FEBRUARY THAT SEVERAL
HUNDRED TANKS AND ARMORED VEHICLES FROM THE FORMER SOVIET INVENTORY
WERE FOUND TO BE UNACCOUNTED FOR IN A REVIEW CONDUCTED IN DECEMBER,
AND THAT REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE WEST HAD DEMANDED CLARIFICATION
OF THE PROBLEM. It appeared that Russia was the chief culprit,
although the reports by Western news agencies were unclear on
that score. One report said that the tanks were missing from
depots in the Caucasus. The CSCE source suggested that Western
leaders recognized the difficulties faced by the governments
of the former Soviet Union but would nevertheless insist that
collective reduction obligations be carried out. He was attending
a meeting in Vienna that was called to ratify an agreement between
Prague and Bratislava on disposal of the military forces of the
former Czechoslovakia. -Stephen Foye

COMMISSION TO PROBE DEFENSE MINISTRY ABUSES. The Presidium of
the Russian Supreme Soviet on 8 February created a commission
to investigate reports of corruption and abuse of privilege in
the Defense Ministry, ITAR-TASS reported. The commission is to
be headed by Andrei Chaikovsky, identified as a member of the
parliament's defense and security committee. -Stephen Foye

ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR MILITARY HOUSING. The Russian Defense
Ministry has allocated an additional $1.5 billion to finance
construction of housing for officers and NCO's slated to be de-commissioned
following their return from Germany, ITAR-TASS reported on 8-February.
The move is reportedly related to the accelerated timetable that
has been agreed upon for the withdrawal. According to the deputy
commander for housing of the Western Group of Forces, Maj. Gen.
Viktor Koshelev, there are currently some 10,000 officers and
NCO's in Germany who lack housing in Russia and are awaiting
discharge. -Stephen Foye

JAPAN ON NORTHERN TERRITORIES ISSUE. Speaking at a rally commemorating
"Northern Territories Day" on 7 February, Japanese Prime Minister
Miyazawa called for a solution to the Kurils issue. According
to Kyodo and ITAR-TASS reports, he also called for improved relations
with Russia and welcomed moves to plan a visit by Russian President
Yeltsin. Foreign Minister Watanabe, in an interview with Japan's
NHK television on the same day, noted that Japan's aid would
be on a scale similar to that of the US and France, rather than
to that of Germany. While he did not directly link further aid
to a resolution of the Kurils dispute, Watanabe reiterated that
Japan would continue to raise the issue with Russia. According
to AFP on 8 February, Watanabe also called for Russia to apologize
for the death by starvation of 50,000 Japanese prisoners of war
held by Russia at the end of World War Two. -John Lepingwell


RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT TO IRAQ. Igor Melekhov, the deputy head of the
Russian Foreign Ministry's Middle East department, arrived in
Baghdad on 8 February to conduct talks with the Iraqi government,
Reuters reported. Melekhov noted that he would try both to strengthen
Russian-Iraqi relations and reaffirm Russia's position that Iraq
comply with all UN Security Council resolutions. It is also expected
that Melekhov will discuss the issue of Iraqi debts to Russia,
which have not been paid since the imposition of sanctions against
Iraq. -John Lepingwell

US NOT TO INCREASE AID TO RUSSIA. The New York Times reported
on 8 February that the Clinton administration does not intend
to substantially increase US aid to Russia, although it will
attempt to manage the flow of existing aid more efficiently.
A key role will be played by Strobe Talbott, who will be Ambassador-at-large
to the former Soviet Union, and who will head an inter-agency
committee to coordinate aid policy and programs. -John Lepingwell


TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



STARVATION THREAT IN TAJIK MOUNTAINS. Radio Mayak news quoted
Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Rashid Alimov on 8 February as
saying that some 700,000 inhabitants of mountain districts in
the Central Asian country are in immediate danger of starvation.
In some outlying areas people have only 25-30 grams of flour
a day. Alimov blamed the lack of food supplies in the mountain
regions on fighting between pro- and anti- government forces
and noted that shipments of humanitarian aid have not reached
these areas, where fighting is apparently continuing. -Bess Brown


RUSSIAN FORCES TO DEFEND AGAINST FUNDAMENTALISM. Russian Defense
Minister Pavel Grachev, addressing Russian troops in Tajikistan
on 4 February, said that the 201st division should be bolstered
because the region was "strategically important" to Moscow and
that Russian troops there served as a bulwark against Islamic
Fundamentalism. The meeting, reported by AFP and ITAR-TASS on
5 February, was attended by the speaker of the Tajik parliament,
Imam Ali Rakhmanov, who also called for the 201st division to
be reinforced. -Stephen Foye

ANOTHER OPPOSITION TRIAL IN UZBEKISTAN. Vasila Inoyatova, secretary
of the Uzbek opposition movement Birlik, was put on trial before
the Supreme Court on 8 February on a charge of having insulted
the country's President, Islam Karimov, Radio Mayak reported.
An earlier report by AFP quoted Uzbek officials as saying that
Inoyatova was being held to account for an open letter she had
written to Karimov and published in the February 1992 issue of
Birlik's journal. Uzbek authorities have also opened a criminal
investigation into the actions of the journal's editor, Khamid
Rasulov, who now lives in Moscow. -Bess Brown

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



NEW CZECH AND SLOVAK CURRENCIES. On 8-February, the Czech Republic
and Slovakia began using separate currencies-the Czech koruna
(CEK) and the Slovak koruna (SOK). The initial exchange rate
between the two currencies and the US dollar was identical-29-CEK
and SOK per $1. Czech Savings Bank spokesman Pavel Jirousek told
CTK on 8 February that the bank will buy and sell Slovak koruny
at the initial one-to-one rate. Czech National Bank Governor
Josef Tosovsky said that confidence in the Czech koruna should
increase owing to a planned loan of the International Monetary
Fund to the Czech National Bank. The loan is to be about $200-million.
-Jiri Pehe

TWO CANDIDATES FOR SLOVAK PRESIDENT. Slovak media and international
agencies report that Michal Kovac, the former chairman of the
Federal Assembly, and Ivan Gasparovic, chairman of the Slovak
parliament, are the only two official candidates for the second
round of the presidential elections in Slovakia, to be held on
15 February. In the first round in January Parliament failed
to elect a president from among several candidates. Both Kovac
and Gasparovic are members of the ruling Movement for a Democratic
Slovakia. In the first round the election of the president was
blocked by the opposition parties which were critical of the
fact that the front-runner, Roman Kovac, is an MDS member. Before
the second round, the opposition parties nominated Juraj Svec,
the president of Comenius University in Bratislava, but he withdrew
after he lost the support of the Party of the Democratic Left.
A three-fifths majority is needed. If no candidate wins the required
majority, another round of elections will be held on 16 February.
-Jiri Pehe

SLOVAK, CZECH ROMANIES ACTIVE. At a press conference in Kosice
on 6 February representatives of Slovakia's Romany Civic Initiative
appealed to Deputy Prime Minister Roman Kovac to hold talks on
the situation of their people in Slovakia. They claimed that
the government and culture ministry "ignore and reject" Romanies'
demands for cultural and social development. They also called
for observers to be sent to Slovakia to investigate the observance
of human rights and the rights of ethnic minorities. Czech Prime
Minister Vaclav Klaus met on 5 February with Romany representatives,
following their demands that the government clamp down on "fascist
and racist groups." CTK reports that following the meeting Klaus
called a special meeting of high-ranking government officials
on 8-February to discuss Romany concerns. -Jiri Pehe

BOSNIAN PEACE PROCESS ON HOLD. Major American dailies on 9 February
report at length on speculation over the Clinton administration's
emerging Bosnia policy. The New York Times in particular lists
a number of points it believes will be features of the American
approach, which most dailies agree will include a special envoy
to hold fresh talks with the warring parties as a continuation
of the current peace process led by Cyrus Vance and Lord Owen.
The Americans reportedly feel that the current Vance-Owen plan
would reward ethnic cleansing and would prove impossible to enforce.
It is not clear what changes the Americans have in mind to produce
an arrangement more attractive to the Muslims while being acceptable
to the Serbs and Croats. Nor is it clear how Washington would
enforce any new peace package. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council
has begun discussing Bosnia, but the media agree that all are
waiting for the expected announcement of Washington's policy
in the next few days before the Council will offer any recommendation.
The EC countries are urging the US to back the Vance-Owen plan,
while Turkey wants Washington to hold out for a better deal for
the Muslims. -Patrick Moore

HDZ WINS IN CROATIAN ELECTIONS. President Franjo Tudjman's Croatian
Democratic Community (HDZ) took about two-thirds of the vote
in preliminary returns from the 7-February elections to the largely
symbolic upper house of parliament. The HDZ also did well in
local and municipal voting, although the 9-February Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung says that a regional party took 66% of the
vote in Istria. The Croatian Peasant Party (HSP), the nominal
successor to interwar Croatia's most important party, got few
votes in last August's parliamentary elections but this time
came back to take over 10% of the total. The liberals once again
came in second, with about a quarter of all ballots. As in the
August elections, the central issue was Tudjman and his party's
alleged authoritarian tendencies. The HDZ appears to have gotten
an added boost from the Croatian military's good performance
against the Serbs since the 22 January offensive began. This
election is expected to help lead to an eventual consolidation
of the political landscape as some of the 27-parties disappear
or merge with others. -Patrick Moore

SERBS WARN AMERICANS, JOURNALISTS. Newsday reported on 7 February
that Serbian authorities in Bosnia said on 4 February that they
"cannot guarantee the freedom and safety of American citizens
and representatives of the American media." Serbian dailies and
TV have singled out Newsday reporter Roy Gutman as being a "spy,"
and Newsday said that Gutman has been hampered in reporting from
Serbian-held areas of Bosnia. Gutman and his paper were first
to break the story of ethnic cleansing in the summer of 1992.
-Patrick Moore

ANOTHER ROMANIAN TUGBOAT DETAINED. Radio Bucharest said on 8
February that another Romanian tugboat transporting merchandise
on the Danube to Austria has been detained by the Serb authorities.
Three other Romanian tugboats continue to be denied permission
to proceed to their destinations. -Michael Shafir

FORCED CONSCRIPTION OF VOJVODINA HUNGARIANS. At a press conference
on 8-February the Democratic Community of Hungarians from Vojvodina
called attention to the renewed forced conscription of ethnic
Hungarians, Radio Budapest reports. Vojvodina parliamentary deputy
Csaba Sepsey reminded his colleagues that such actions are illegal.
He mentioned instances where the military or police removed people
from their homes forcibly and without prior notification. Some
formal appeals have reportedly been registered with approriate
minority affairs officials. -Judith Pataki

START-1 SCHEDULED FOR NEXT UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY SESSION. Before
departing on a trip to the United Kingdom, Ukrainian President
Leonid Kravchuk stated that he expects the START-1 treaty to
be ratified at the next session of Parliament, which begins next
week, ITAR-TASS reports. Russian TV's "Vesti" newscast on 9 February
also reported that a group of Ukrainian parliamentarians opposed
to START-1 ratification will hold a conference entitled "Ukraine's
Nuclear Status as the Best Safeguard of European Peace" in mid-February.
-John Lepingwell

POLAND TO PARTICIPATE IN NATO EXERCISE. A Defense Ministry spokesman
announced on 5 February that Poland will join NATO naval forces
on maneuvers in the Baltic on June 16-18. This will be the first
time Poland has taken part in joint exercises with NATO members.
Poland was invited to take part in "Baltops 1993" by US naval
officials in Europe. Lithuania will also participate. Russia
was invited, but its response is unclear. Polish Defense Minister
Janusz Onyszkiewicz told reporters on 4 February that Poland
would like NATO to present clear conditions for membership in
the alliance. Onyszkiewicz said the requirements had not been
spelled out during recent meetings with defense officials in
Germany, Britain, and the US. One condition had been set informally,
that the Polish armed forces be placed under "full civilian control."
This aim was largely achieved, Onyszkiewicz said, but "other
conditions are not given. We would very much like that sort of
list to be drawn up." -Louisa Vinton

POLISH POLITICAL ROUNDUP. President Lech Walesa used a visit
to Warsaw's notorious Rakowiecka prison on 8 February to argue
once again that the continued spread of corruption and organized
crime in Poland is not his fault. Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka
met the same day with Solidarity Chairman Marian Krzaklewski
to lobby for his support of the government's 1993 budget. The
union's national leadership is to debate the budget on 10-February.
The meeting was apparently inconclusive; Suchocka's spokesman
said that it was "informational in character and yielded no concrete
results." Also on 8 February, the Christian National Union nominated
a new candidate for the contested culture minister post: Jerzy
Goral, a specialist in press and copyright law. The prime minister
refrained from endorsing the candidacy, saying she would first
consult with Walesa on the proposal, even if the constitution
does not strictly oblige her to do so. Finally, opinion poll
results reported by PAP show the Catholic Church's disapproval
rating (46%) higher than its approval rating (41%) for the first
time ever. Among the institutions included, approval was highest
for the army (72%) and the police (67%). -Louisa Vinton

KAZAKH PRIME MINISTER VISITS HUNGARY. Sergei Tereshchenko began
a three- day official visit in Hungary on 8 February at the invitation
of Prime Minister Jozsef Antall, MTI reports. This is the first
high-level visit in the history of the two countries. Tereshchenko
is seeking to strengthen economic ties between the two countries
and will meet with the directors of several Hungarian and international
joint venture companies. Kazakhstan is about to sign a joint
oil production agreement with Chevron, and a Hungarian company,
Vegyepszer, seeks to participate as a subcontractor to Chevron.
Kazakhstan has also expressed interest in Hungarian agricultural
products and would like to study the corn production system.
A Hungarian embassy is planned for Alma-Ata. -Judith Pataki

PALESTINIAN DELEGATION VISITS ROMANIA. Faisal al-Husseini, adviser
to the Palestinian delegation at the Middle East peace talks,
headed a delegation that visited Romania on 6-February. He met
President Ion Iliescu and Foreign Affairs Minister Theodor Melescanu.
Al-Husseini said Romania's close ties with both the Palestine
Liberation Organization and Israel put the country in a good
position to play a more active role in furthering the Middle
East peace process. Iliescu said that Romania has offered to
facilitate contacts and create a positive atmosphere for negotiations.
-Michael Shafir

ILIESCU ON CORNEA'S SUMMONS. Romanian President Ion Iliescu accused
some newspapers and individuals of trying to make political capital
out of "a malfunctioning of the mechanisms of the state based
on the rule of law." They exaggerate, he said, the significance
of the prosecutor general's having summoned for questioning prominent
human rights activist Doinea Cornea's at the very moment that
the Council of Europe is debating Romania's admission. Trying
to deflect responsibility onto the opposition, Iliescu thus lays
the blame for the ensuing uproar on those who protested against
the summons, seemingly implying a conspiracy. Responding to an
official of the International Federation of Human Rights who
wrote to protest the summons, Iliescu, in remarks carried by
Radio Bucharest on 8 February, praised Cornea's courageous stand
against the Ceausescu regime. He said her continuing presence
in political life after the revolution reflects "the new climate
and the absence of any restrictions in the exercise of fundamental
human rights" in Romania. -Michael Shafir

ROMANIAN TRADE UNIONS THREATEN ACTIONS. The Confederation of
Free Romanian Trade Unions, the largest trade union umbrella
organization in Romania, says it will initiate unspecified actions
on 10 February if the problems concerning the all-country collective
work contract are not solved. The confederation accuses the employers'
representatives and the government of not implementing previously
concluded agreements. Radio Bucharest said on 8-February that
Premier Nicolae Vacaroiu has designated Minister of Labor and
Social Affairs Dan Mircea Popescu to mediate. -Michael Shafir


BALKAN AIRWAYS OPENS TO PRIVATIZATION. Balkan Airways, Bulgaria's
national airline, has been opened for privatization, AFP reported
on 8 February. The state will retain at least 40% of the shares,
but foreign tenders may hold up to 49%. Balkan Airways, which
has access to 64 different international destinations, is to
retain its position as national airline for 15-years. The company
has 4,000 employees and a fleet of 60 predominantly Soviet-made
planes. -Kjell Engelbrekt

MORE ON SMOLYAKOV'S PRESS CONFERENCE. Russian Ambassador to Ukraine
Leonid Smolyakov told a press conference in Kiev on 5 February
that his office has received 400,000 requests from residents
in Ukraine about acquisition of Russian citizenship; 20,000 requests
came from the Crimea. Smolyakov told journalists that Russia
insists that Ukraine provide for dual citizenship and that a
note to that effect has been sent to the Ukrainian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. Smolyakov recently visited the Crimea and said
that he learned of the "difficulties" facing the Russian-speaking
population there. If the peninsula opts for independence, he
said, Russia will recognize it. -Roman Solchanyk

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN LITHUANIA BEGUN. On 8 February more
than two million eligible voters who will be unable to vote in
person in the presidential elections on 14-February began casting
mail-in ballots at the country's 1,300 post offices, Radio Lithuania
reports. Polls conducted by Baltic Surveys on 20-27 January indicated
that about 49% would vote for Algirdas Brazauskas and 39% for
Stasys Lozoraitis. Lozoraitis is more popular among ethnic Lithuanians
(44% vs. 40%), but Brazauskas has far more support among Russians
(77% vs. 7%) and Poles (70% vs. 11%) as well as in rural areas
(54% vs. 28%). Another poll conducted at about the same time
by the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology, and Law showed 57%
support for Brazauskas and only 29% for Lozoraitis. -Saulius
Girnius

PRUNSKIENE-LITHUANIA'S AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY? IN AN INTERVIEW
WITH SPIEGEL, ACTING PRESIDENT ALGIRDAS BRAZAUSKAS INDICATED
THAT HE MIGHT APPOINT FORMER PRIME MINISTER KAZIMIERA PRUNSKIENE
LITHUANIA'S AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY REPLACING VAIDOTAS ANTANAVICIUS,
WHO LAST MONTH EXPRESSED HIS DESIRE TO RETIRE. On 8 February
Seimas press spokesman Vilius Kavaliauskas confirmed the accuracy
of the report, while opposition leader Vytautas Landsbergis noted
that it would be "a strange appointment, one that would not raise
Lithuania's prestige," Baltfax reports. Prunskiene has been accused
of "conscious collaboration" with the KGB, but the parliament
refused to raise the question of taking away her seat and she
did not run for the Seimas. -Saulius Girnius

SILDMAE UNDER FIRE. Toomas Sildmae, Estonia's newly-appointed
minister of economics, has come under attack by a member-party
of the governing coalition. According to BNS of 9-February, the
Estonian National Independence Party parliamentary faction has
criticized Sildmae for having avoided the political struggle
for independence in favor of building up his hotel business connections.
The faction leaders also warned that Sildmae's appointment could
be damaging to the government's reputation, since the hotel business
in Tallinn "has recently been dominated by an atmosphere of corruption
and crime." The ENIP leaders expressed their surprise that an
admittedly highly political government had named someone with
no party affiliation to a key ministry, but added that they will
not contest the appointment because the coalition agreement reserves
the economics post for the coalition leader, Pro Patria. -Riina
Kionka

ESTONIA WANTS TO INTEGRATE IMMIGRANTS. Estonian Foreign Minister
Trivimi Velliste assured a visiting UN human rights mission on
8 February that the current government has the political will
to integrate the country's immigrants. Velliste told the mission
that Estonia wants to integrate the immigrants, but "not at the
instructions of the Russian government." Earlier that day, in
a clear allusion to Estonia and Latvia, Nikolai Obirotyshev,
Russian ambassador to Lithuania, was quoted as saying that Lithuania's
citizenship laws could "serve as an example for other countries."
BNS, citing Lietuvos rytas, reported Obirotyshev's remarks on
8-February. -Riina Kionka

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Stephen Foye and Charles Trumbull