No. 31, 16 February 1993

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.





RUSSIA



KHASBULATOV CALLS FOR CONFIDENCE VOTE IN YELTSIN. At a meeting
of the parliamentary presidium on 15 February, speaker Ruslan
Khasbulatov proposed that in the planned April referendum on
the principles of a new Russian Constitution, separate questions
should be put to voters asking whether they trust President Boris
Yeltsin, the Congress of People's Deputies, the parliament, and
the government. A further question on whether to hold simultaneous
early presidential and parliamentary elections in 1994 should
also be put to the electorate, Russian and Western agencies reported
Khasbulatov as saying. Meanwhile President Yeltsin left central
Moscow for an impromptu 12-day vacation. -Wendy Slater

MORE ON REFERENDUM ISSUES. Although going on vacation, Yeltsin
has not canceled the meeting with parliamentary speaker Ruslan
Khasbulatov scheduled for 16 February, Ekho Moskvy reported on
15 February. The head of the presidential staff, Sergei Filatov,
said that Yeltsin should not renounce the idea of holding the
planned constitutional referendum in April. A number of democrats
have recently voiced skepticism about Yeltsin's chances of winning
the referendum. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Shakhrai told Russian
TV the same day that the parliament should agree to renounce
any claims on executive power for a period of stabilization.
-Alexander Rahr

BURBULIS COMMENTS ON CONSTITUTION. Former Russian State Secretary
Gennadii Burbulis is leaving for the United States to seek contacts
for his newly established analytical center "Strategiya." Burbulis
told the RFE/RL Research Institute on 15 February that the only
way out of the present constitutional crisis lies in the setting
up of a Constitutional Assembly. He said that people must decide
by referendum whether a Constitutional Assembly or the present
parliament should be tasked with drawing up the new constitution.
He stated that he was absolutely sure that the majority of Russians
would support the idea of a Constitutional Assembly, which would
function only temporarily until the new Russian Constitution
is drafted. Burbulis also said that he was convinced Russia should
become a presidential republic. -Alexander Rahr

KOZYREV CALLS FOR BALANCED POLICY ON YUGOSLAVIA. In an interview
published by Nezavisimaya gazeta on 16 February and summarized
by ITAR-TASS, Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev recommended
that Moscow avoid offering "blind support to only one of the
Slavic peoples" (presumably the Serbs) in the former Yugoslavia,
or that it base its policies solely on common ties to the Orthodox
religion. Reflecting an awareness of disintegrative tendencies
within Russia itself, Kozyrev argued that undifferentiated Russian
support for a single ethnic and religious group in the former
Yugoslavia could, for example, undermine Moscow's relations with
Tatarstan or Bashkortostan. He also said that it might split
the CIS as a whole. Kozyrev has been roundly criticized by Russian
nationalists in the parliament for not adopting a more pro-Serbian
stance, but appears nevertheless to have won grudging support
from Evgenii Ambartsumov, the influential chairman of the parliamentary
committee for international affairs. -Stephen Foye

FLEET COMMAND DENIES SINKING SHIPS IN BALTIC. A spokesman for
the Russian Baltic Fleet command has denied a report, published
in the most recent issue of the German news magazine Der Spiegel,
that the Russian navy sank two nuclear-powered ships in the Baltic
Sea. The spokesman, speaking by telephone from Kaliningrad, told
RFE/RL's Moscow correspondent that the Baltic Fleet has no nuclear-powered
vessels or nuclear weapons. He called the report "disinformation."
-Stephen Foye

WARNING THAT UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARE UNSAFE. The command
of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces has charged that Ukrainian
authorities have failed properly to maintain strategic nuclear
weapons still based in Ukraine and has suggested that this neglect
could lead to a catastrophe rivaling Chernobyl. According to
Izvestiya of 16 February, specialists from the missile forces'
main staff were shocked by their findings during a recent inspection
of nuclear weapons facilities located in the Ukrainian city of
Pervomaisk. Maj. Gen. Vladimir Nikitin, identified as a deputy
commander-in-chief in charge of nuclear weapons operations, was
quoted as saying that it was impossible "to give a guarantee
of the complete safety of nuclear missiles in Ukraine." The article
attributed the alleged deterioration of safety standards to Kiev's
decision to assume administrative control over the weapons. Ukrainian
military authorities reportedly refused comment, but the allegations
reflect misgivings long expressed by political and military circles
in Moscow. -Stephen Foye

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE CONTINUE TO SQUABBLE OVER DEBT. Negotiations
between Russia and Ukraine over dividing the debt and assets
of the former Soviet Union remain troubled, Reuters reported
on 15 February. The Russian government accused the Ukrainians
of derailing its attempts to reschedule the debt with Western
lenders: "As a result of the unconstructive position of Ukraine
. . . a real danger has arisen that negotiations with foreign
creditors might be broken off." The major sticking point continues
to be the evaluation of the assets of the former Soviet Union.
Ukraine asserts that its share of these assets exceeds the value
of its share of the debt; Russia claims the two sums should cancel
each other out. The Russian government also said that the Ukrainian
position on foreign debt was doubly unacceptable, considering
its demands for continued access to Russian energy exports at
preferential prices. -Erik Whitlock

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE DISCUSSES PROBLEMS. The Russian Ministry
of Agriculture held a meeting on 15 February to consider last
year's agricultural performance and current problems, according
to ITAR-TASS. Agriculture Minister Viktor Khlystun reported that
production dropped 8% overall in the sector, led by an 18% decline
in livestock products. The number of loss-making farms grew from
1,285 to 2,402. Interenterprise debt continues to plague the
sector as well. Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi, also present
at the meeting, said that most of the existing problems could
be solved by changing the means by which the sector is financed.
Although no details were given, Rutskoi seemed to propose achieving
a more equitable balance between agricultural and industrial
prices through contracts that would anticipate future changes
in costs in the agricultural sector. On a related topic, Reuters
reported the same day that the Russian government may soon eliminate
all compulsory sales of agricultural products to the state. -Erik
Whitlock

MINERS' PROTEST IN VORKUTA. Miners at the Vorgashorskaya mine
in Vorkuta (Komi Republic) are holding an underground sit-in
protest, according to Russian TV on 15 February. The 314 miners
involved in the sit-in are demanding the release of their union
leader, Ivan Guridov, who was arrested on 12 February. Guridov
was elected director of the mine by the work collective at the
end of January, and appears to have been arrested because of
his refusal to attend court hearings in connection with charges
brought against him by the previous director. According to Reuters
on 14 February, the miners decided to remove the former director
because he had been involved in illicit barter deals, trading
coal with foreign and Russian firms. There has been worker unrest
since early December at all of the 13 mines centered around the
former penal colony of Vorkuta. Vorgashorskaya, with its 5,000
employees, is one of the largest mines in Russia. -Sheila Marnie


YELTSIN AND BARANNIKOV ON CRIME. At a two-day national conference
on the fight against crime held in Moscow on 12-13 February,
President Yeltsin delivered a speech singling out corruption
and organized crime as particularly urgent problems and a threat
to Russia's national interest, Western and Russian news agencies
reported. He announced that $2-billion had gone missing from
the balance of payments of the Foreign Trade Ministry in the
first nine months of 1992, suggesting that it may have ended
up illegally in foreign bank accounts. About 40% of all businessmen
and two-thirds of all so-called "commercial structures" were
involved in corrupt transactions, he said. On 13 February Security
Minister Viktor Barannikov told the conference that Western intelligence
was fostering the spread of crime in Russia by encouraging links
with international criminal organizations and that criminal elements
had penetrated the highest circles of power in Russia.-Sheila
Marnie and Wendy Slater

MEIN KAMPF PUBLISHER ACQUITTED. A St. Petersburg city court has
acquitted Viktor Bezverkhii, the publisher of a slightly abridged
version of Adolf Hitler's autobiography, Mein Kampf, Russian
TV reported on 15 February. An activist in ultranationalist groupings
and the editor of the virulently anti-Semitic magazine Russky
klich (Russian Appeal), Bezverkhii was accused of fomenting ethnic
discord under Article 74 of the Russian Criminal Code. The accused,
however, claimed that he had published Hitler's book from purely
commercial considerations, and, although the publisher had lost
money, in the course of the three-day trial the court agreed
with the defense.-Julia Wishnevsky

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



INDIA PROMISES CREDIT TO TAJIKISTAN. Western agencies and Xinhua
reported on 15-February that Indian officials have promised a
$5 million credit to Tajikistan. The promise was made to Tajik
Prime Minister Abdumalik Abdullodzhonov, who is in India on his
first official visit outside the CIS since the winding down of
Tajikistan's civil war. Several Tajik government leaders, including
Abdullodzhonov, have said that Tajikistan has little hope of
restoring its ravaged economy without foreign help. Abdullodzhonov
appealed to members of the Business Forum to enter into joint
ventures in Tajikistan, pointing out that his country is rich
in mineral resources. A delegation of Indian businessmen plans
to visit Tajikistan to explore investment opportunities. -Bess
Brown

KYRGYZSTAN RESTRICTS FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN. In future diplomats,
representatives of foreign companies, and private individuals
who visit Kyrgyzstan frequently will have to inform the country's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the reasons for their visits,
Kyrgyzkabar-TASS reported on 12 February. The ministry will arrange
such visitors' meetings with appropriate government officials
or representatives of industry and agriculture. According to
the report, the press in Kyrgyzstan attributed the new rule to
a need to regulate the stream of foreigners visiting the country.
It does not, however, appear to signal a retreat from foreign
contacts by Kyrgyzstan; the country's Prime Minister Tursunbek
Chyngyshev is traveling in Western Europe to expand Kyrgyzstan's
contacts there and to seek European investment. -Bess Brown 

UZBEK OPPOSITION LEADER EVICTED FROM HOME. Law enforcement officials
in Tashkent have evicted Dzhakhangir Mamatov, secretary of the
Erk (Will) Democratic Party and editor of its newspaper, from
his home, Mamatov told an RFE/RL correspondent on 15-February.
The correspondent reported that Mamatov attributed the action
of the authorities to official anger over his criticism of Uzbek
President Islam Karimov. Previously he had said that harassment
began after he was chosen to edit Erk's publication. -Bess Brown


CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



KOVAC ELECTED SLOVAK PRESIDENT. Michal Kovac, the candidate of
the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, was elected Slovak
President on 15 February by the National Council of the Slovak
Republic. Kovac received 106 votes, 16 more than the three-fifths
majority required by the Slovak constitution, Slovak media reported.
Of the 148-deputies present, 20 voted against Kovac, 19 abstained,
and one ballot was invalid. Kovac, 62, is a financial expert
who worked for the Czechoslovak State Bank for many years. In
1964-65 he was an instructor at the College of the Banco National
de Cuba. He joined the Communist Party in 1953, but was expelled
in 1970. After the "velvet revolution," Kovac served as Slovak
Finance Minister (December 1989 to May 1991); in June 1992, he
became the Chairman of the Czechoslovak Federal Assembly and
held that position until the end of the Czechoslovak state. Kovac
will be inaugurated on 3-March. -Jan Obrman

KOVAC ON SLOVAK-CZECH RELATIONS. After his election as president,
Kovac declared that he will devote much attention to good relations
between the independent Slovak state and the Czech Republic.
He told reporters in Bratislava that such relations should take
priority in Slovakia's foreign policy. Kovac also announced that
he would give up his membership in Vladimir Meciar's Movement
for a Democratic Slovakia during his five-year tenure and expressed
his wish to discuss Slovakia's problems with all political parties
and groups in the upcoming weeks. -Jan Obrman

KNAZKO TO BE DISMISSED SOON? FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,
SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER VLADIMIR MECIAR DISCUSSED THE FUTURE OF
SLOVAK FOREIGN MINISTER MILAN KNAZKO WITH JOURNALISTS, SLOVAK
MEDIA REPORTED ON 15 FEBRUARY. He was quoted as saying that he
will ask the president to dismiss some members of the government
if it proves necessary. When asked whether the dismissal of foreign
minister Knazko is necessary, Meciar told the reporters "to wait
and see." Tensions between Meciar and Knazko, who are both high-ranking
officials of the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, have
grown recently and observers say that the Prime Minister wants
to oust Knazko from both his government and his party positions.
In the absence of a president it was not legally possible to
relieve Knazko from his government post, however. The foreign
minister did not attend the presidential election; his spokesman
explained that he is ill. -Jan Obrman

CROATIA PEACE TALKS SET TO BEGIN. Negotiations between the warring
factions in Croatia are set to begin at the UN on 16 February,
Radio Croatia reports. Heading the negotiating teams are Goran
Hadzic, president of the self-proclaimed Serbian Republic of
Krajina and Gojko Susak, Croatia's defense minister. The UN plan
for Krajina calls for the disarming of the Serb militia by UN
peacekeepers and measures aimed at allowing refugees from the
region to return. Krajina Serbs reject the UN plans and demand
independence. They refuse to negotiate with Croatia until Croat
forces withdraw to the positions held before the 22-January offensive.
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman has offered a six-month extension
of the UN mandate that expires next week and demands that Croatian
police be allowed to patrol jointly with UN forces to reassert
Zagreb's control over the Krajina militia. The UN commander in
Croatia, Gen. Satish Nambiar, is quoted by the Los Angles Times
as saying "we are back to zero." -Milan Andrejevich

BOSNIAN SERBS CONTINUE TO BLOCK RELIEF CONVOY. Radio Bosnia reports
on 15-February that Bosnian Serb militia continue to block an
emergency aid UN convoy in eastern Bosnia despite assurances
by Bosnian Serb leaders that the blockade would be removed. Bosnian
Serb leader Radovan Karadzic told Radio Serbia that his forces
are prepared to assist the UN convoy on condition that Bosnia's
Muslim-led army orders a halt to their offensive in the region
near the border with Serbia. Meanwhile, Serbia's President Slobodan
Milosevic told UN mediator Cyrus Vance that he will use his influence
to clear the way for the convoy. According to UN officials in
Geneva, some 25,000 Muslims in Cerska area are waiting for the
supplies. -Milan Andrejevich

EC PRESIDENT WARNS OF BALKAN WAR. On 15-February EC Commission
President Jacques Delors criticized the US for indecision over
the Vance-Owen peace plan for Bosnia-Herzegovina. In an interview
with Europe 1 radio, he claimed that if the US had accepted the
plan from the start "we would have sent a signal to the belligerents
that war does not pay." He added that while the Clinton administration
developed its policy, the fighting in Bosnia intensified and
warned "now it is possible that we will have a Balkan war within
two months." -Milan Andrejevich

MITSOTAKIS FACES HOSTILE GREEKS OVER MACEDONIA. Greek Prime Minister
Constantine Mitsotakis has come under fire from colleagues and
opposition figures alike. According to Katimerini, a leading
conservative Greek newspaper, Mitsotakis said in a statement
on 14 February that Greece might agree to the use of the word
"Macedonia" in the Republic of Macedonia's official title, provided
international arbitration guarantees Greek national security.
Katimerini demanded that the prime minister resign; and a number
of deputies in his own New Democracy Party objected to the compromise.
The opposition PASOK party rejects the idea categorically. Mitsotakis
faces an uphill fight as he seeks to solve a problem that has
destabilized the Central Balkans. -Duncan Perry

MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES NAME ISSUE. The Republic of Macedonia's
legislature ended its fifth day of debate on 15 February over
whether to accept a UN compromise which proposes that the new
republic be admitted to the UN under the temporary name "Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." Reuters reports that the main
opposition to the idea comes from the nationalist Internal Macedonian
Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party of National Unity
which controls 36 seats of the total 120. No official UN document
concerning the matter has been delivered to Macedonian leaders.
-Duncan Perry

PRESIDENT OF RUMP YUGOSLAVIA TO VISIT ROMANIA SOON. Radio Bucharest
announced on 15-February that Dobrica Cosic, president of the
rump Yugoslav state, would visit Romania on 20 February for talks
on the Yugoslav crisis. Cosic is scheduled to meet with President
Ion Iliescu. Romanian radio summarized a commentary by the Yugoslav
news agency Tanjug saying that Romania appears to have become
the center of a new pan-Balkan initiative to solve the Yugoslav
conflicts. According to Tanjug, which quotes unidentified "well-informed
sources in Bucharest," all countries in the region accept the
idea that Romania should lead a Balkan initiative to put an end
to the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Recently, the foreign ministers
of Turkey and Greece visited Bucharest, where they discussed
the Yugoslav crisis with high-ranking Romanian officials. -Dan
Ionescu

CONFERENCE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. An international conference
on controlling illegal immigration in Europe opened in Budapest
on 15 February, MTI and Western news agencies report. Government
officials from more than 30 countries and a number of international
organizations are attending. The conference is expected to draw
up proposals for a common European policy on illegal immigration.
In his opening speech, Hungarian Interior Minister Peter Boross
said that thousands of people were leaving home because of difficult
living conditions and rising unemployment, and warned that countries
targeted by European immigration will soon "reach the limits
of reception capability.'' He linked illegal migration to crime
and rising violence against foreigners. Boross said that last
year strengthened police patrols on the border as well as new
measures in Romania and cooperation with Austria have reduced
the number of illegal immigrants. He appealed for Western financial
help to purchase technical equipment to seal Hungary's borders
more effectively. -Edith Oltay

MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT WARNS OF IRREDENTIST COUP. Mircea Snegur told
a convention of farm managers (a pillar of Moldova's parliamentary
majority) on 12 February, as cited by Basapress, that supporters
of Moldovan-Romanian unification may be planning a coup to overthrow
the legal authorities and to provoke civil war in order to achieve
their aims. He noted that the recent resignation of the pro-Romania
parliamentary leaders has reignited demonstrations and threats
of violence in Chisinau by militant groups calling for unification.
Offering assurances that Moldova "would not undertake anything
against Romania," Snegur reaffirmed his support for a referendum
which is expected to endorse Moldovan independent statehood.
He urged continued cooperation among the "two Romanian independent
states" but warned against any "artificial integration" and supported
"the preservation of existing borders." -Vladimir Socor

WORKERS' PROTESTS IN BUCHAREST. Thousands of Romanian workers
took part in two demonstrations in Bucharest on 15 February.
An estimated 3,000 to 10,000 people attended a meeting in Revolution
Square organized by the "Solidarity 90" trade union federation
of workers in electronics, the electromechanical industry, and
fine mechanics. After the gathering, protesters marched to the
government's headquarters and other official buildings to present
a list of demands including better social protection, job security
and a minimum monthly wage of 41,000 lei ($82) instead of the
present 17,300 ($35). In a separate gathering, some 4,000 workers
from the aircraft industry called for action to help their crisis-stricken
industry. Radio Bucharest reported extensively on the demonstrations,
which were the first workers' street protests since the cabinet
headed by Nicolae Vacaroiu took office in November 1992. -Dan
Ionescu

ANTI-KRAVCHUK PROTESTS IN THE DONBASS. Demonstrators in all major
cities of the Donbass on 13-February declared no confidence in
President Leonid Kravchuk and demanded that he explain his actions
to voters of the Donetsk region, ITAR-TASS reports. The demonstrators
also called for more local autonomy and the introduction of a
federated system in Ukraine. The meetings were organized by the
Socialist Party of Ukraine (former communists) and the local
Intermovement. -Roman Solchanyk

NEW HUNGARIAN MINISTERS DESIGNATED. Prime Minister Jozsef Antall
designated five new ministers on 15 February, completing the
government reshuffle. Minister without portfolio Ferenc Madl,
a Hungarian Democratic Forum (HDF) member was named minister
of culture and education; Political State Secretary in the labor
ministry Gyorgy Schamschula (HDF) was designated transportation
minister; and department head in the industry ministry Janos
Miklos Latrocai was named Minister of Industry and Trade, replacing
Ivan Szabo who was earlier designated Finance Minister. Janos
Szabo, the parliamentary leader of the Smallholders' 36group
which supports the government, was named Minister of Agriculture,
and parliamentary deputy Janos Gyurko (HDF), a member of the
parliament's committee on environmental protection, was designated
Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development.
Madl and Janos Szabo studied law; Schamschula studied economics;
Latrocai graduated from the Technical University for Heavy Industry;
and Gyurko is a construction engineer. -Edith Oltay

PRAGUE CREATES CENTER TO INVESTIGATE COMMUNIST CRIMES. Czech
Prosecutor General Jiri Setina and Czech Interior Minister Jan
Ruml signed an agreement on the creation of a center for the
investigation of communist crimes on 12 February, media reported.
Setina said the purpose of the center is to investigate crimes
against humanity such as physical and psychological torture under
the communist regime. He added that "special senates" could be
set up to assess the crimes, but stressed that "no spectacular
trials" should be expected. Setina said that dealing with Czechoslovakia's
communist past had moral rather than legal significance and that
most of those responsible for crimes were either dead or too
old to be prosecuted anyway. -Jan Obrman

WALESA SIGNS ABORTION LAW. President Lech Walesa signed a restrictive
abortion bill into law on 15-February, closing a four-year debate
on the issue. The law, which takes effect two weeks after its
publication, permits abortion only in three cases: when the pregnant
woman's health or life is threatened; when the pregnancy results
from rape or incest; and when the fetus is damaged. Doctors performing
illicit abortions face two-year prison sentences; the new law
exempts women from any punishment. Abortions are restricted to
public health facilities; prenatal testing is strictly limited.
In earlier comments, Walesa said that the new law, while imperfect,
is better than the old one and demonstrates the need to respect
life from the moment of conception. Walesa rejected appeals from
conservative deputies to veto the bill on the grounds that it
does not impose an absolute abortion ban. -Louisa Vinton

ESTONIA WELCOMES CSCE MISSION. CSCE and Estonian officials signed
an agreement on 15 February paving the way for the international
organization to start monitoring allegations of human rights
violations there, BNS reports. Estonian Foreign Minister Trivimi
Velliste and Klaus Tornudd, the chief of a six-member CSCE mission,
signed an agreement allowing the watch group to set up shop in
Tallinn, Kohtla-Jarve and Narva. The CSCE mission, which will
stay in Estonia for six months, plans to establish ties with
trade unions, enterprises, public organizations and individuals
in order to assess Estonia's compliance with CSCE principles.
Foreign Minister Velliste hailed the arrival of the mission as
an historic step that "will provide the world with additional
information about Estonia and its policies." -Riina Kionka

OPPOSITION SLAMS ESTONIAN GOVERNMENT. The controversy over the
alleged entry of some 200-additional Russian troops into Estonia
continues to dominate parliamentary debate in Tallinn. Opposition
MPs again charged on 15 February that the government knowingly
gave the Russian military permission to bring in additional troops
to help facilitate the withdrawal. Representatives of the ruling
coalition have acknowledged allowing the soldiers in, but said
on 15-February that the permission had been annulled and the
troops entered Estonia without their knowledge. Prime Minister
Mart Laar told BNS on 15 February that he regards the opposition's
criticism "natural;" since the adoption of the 1993 budget last
week, Laar said, the opposition is forced to find other ways
to get rid of the government. -Riina Kionka

LATVIA INTRODUCES STATE MONOPOLY ON ALCOHOL SALES. The Latvian
cabinet, backing a proposal by Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis,
voted unanimously to introduce a state monopoly on sales of alcoholic
beverages, BNS reported on 15 February. The main reason for the
measure is to increase government revenues to balance the budget
as required by the IMF. The government on 12 February also declared
invalid all trade certificates on the sale of imported alcoholic
beverages issued at the end of last year, instructing the Interior
Ministry to suspend the sale of imported alcoholic beverages
in commercial shops or kiosks. Beginning 15 February, custom
duties will have to be paid in either Latvian rubles or hard
currency and not in CIS currencies, the purchase of which the
Bank of Latvia suspended in January. -Saulius Girnius

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS IN LITHUANIA. On 16 February Lithuania
celebrates the 75th anniversary of its independence declaration,
Radio Lithuania reports. During a Mass at the Vilnius cathedral,
Vilnius Archbishop Audrys Backis will consecrate the Vilnius
city flag, which will then be carried to the building where the
act of independence was signed. At the Seimas, acting President
Algirdas Brazauskas will present the Order of Grand Duke Gediminas
to emigre poet Bernardas Brazdzionis, painter Vytautas Jonynas,
former Vilnius University rector Jonas Kubilius, poet Justinas
Marcinkevicius, and poet priest Ricardas Mikutavicius. Latvian
and Belarus parliament chairmen Anatolijs Gorbunovs and Stanislau
Shuskevich and officials from other countries will participate
in the celebrations. -Saulius Girnius

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Wendy Slater and Louisa Vinton



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