No. 52, 17 March 1993

RUSSIA



YELTSIN CONDEMNS CONGRESS AGAIN, MAY REPLACE MINISTERS. The Russian
Congress of People's Deputies is trying to "restore the communist
regime," President Yeltsin told reporters on 16 March at a news
conference with his French counterpart Francois Mitterrand. Yeltsin
said he still does not know how to respond to the damage inflicted
by the latest session of the Congress on Russia's political stability.
He was quoted by Russian and Western agencies as disclosing at
the same press conference that he intends to replace as many
as five members of the government. He said the replacements were
planned long before the Congress. Yeltsin said they were due
to the "unsatisfactory performance" of certain ministers, but
did not identify them by name. At the Congress, the parliamentary
speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov had called for the replacement of
the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for privatization, Anatolii
Chubais, and Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev. Vera Tolz

CIVIC UNION WILL SUPPORT CHERNOMYRDIN. Arkadii Volsky, chairman
of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and co-leader
of the Civic Union, told Pravda on 16 March that Prime Minister
Viktor Chernomyrdin should alter the composition of his cabinet
in accordance with the new economic course he wants to take now
that the Cabinet of Ministers has received additional powers
after the Congress. Volsky said he would welcome the inclusion
of more "specialists" in the cabinet. He stated that the Civic
Union must now support Chernomyrdin. The People's Party of Free
Russia, led by Vice-President Aleksandr Rutskoi, also praised
the widening of the cabinet's powers and issued a statement calling
for earlier presidential and parliamentary elections, ITAR-TASS
reported the same day. Contrary to Volsky, Rutskoi's party favors
President Boris Yeltsin's idea of a referendum. Alexander Rahr


GERASHCHENKO APPOINTED TO THE CABINET. On 16 March, President
Yeltsin signed a decree on the expansion of his cabinet, in line
with the resolution of the Congress of People's Deputies last
week, ITAR-TASS reported. Those appointed to the cabinet were
the heads of the Russian Central Bank, the Russian Federal Property
Fund, the State Statistics Committee and the Russian Federation
Pension Fund. In addition to his seat in the cabinet, Russian
Central Bank Chairman Viktor Gerashchenko has been appointed
to the Presidium of the Council of Ministers, or inner cabinet.
Keith Bush

STATUS STILL UNCLEAR. The decision adopted by the Congress of
People's Deputies had stipulated that the above officials could
become members of the Council of Ministers while at the same
time remaining accountable to parliament. The ambiguity of this
dual subordination was illustrated by an interview that Gerashchenko
gave to Izvestiya on 16 March, the same day as his new formal
appointment. He said, inter alia, that a system whereby the same
body prints money and spends it cannot be efficient. Moreover,
the doubtful validity of presidential decrees was underscored
by the fact that Gerashchenko had already been granted cabinet
rank by a presidential decree last November. Keith Bush

YELTSIN PLANNING REFERENDUM? THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT'S PRESS SERVICE
TOLD ITAR-TASS ON 16 MARCH THAT FOLLOWING THE CONGRESS, YELTSIN
WAS RECEIVING UP TO 3,000 LETTERS FROM CITIZENS DAILY, ALMOST
ALL EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF THE PRESIDENT'S POSITION AND CRITICAL
OF THE RESULTS OF THE CONGRESS. The letters apparently call on
Yeltsin to show "firmness in defending democracy and reforms,"
and object in particular to the Congress' decision "to deny the
people the right to express their view through a referendum,"
the report said. Immediately after the Congress, Sergei Filatov
the head of Yeltsin's administration, had told a meeting of "Democratic
Russia" deputies that the president intended to go ahead with
a plebiscite, which would be organized by the existing government
commission for the referendum, a report in Rossiiskaya gazeta
of 16 March said. Wendy Slater

KOZYREV DEMANDS MINORITIES COMMISSIONER. Speaking at a closed
meeting of foreign ministers of the Council of Baltic Sea States
on 16 March, Andrei Kozyrev said he would not sign a communique
with the other Baltic states unless they appointed a commissioner
to protect the rights of ethnic minorities in the Baltic. Kozyrev
likened the plight of Russian minorities in the Baltic to the
situation in the former Yugoslavia. The foreign ministers of
Estonia and Latvia, Trivimi Velliste and Georgs Andrejevs said
such a commission was unnecessary, Western agencies reported.
Suzanne Crow

KOZYREV ELABORATES ON BALTIC PRESENCE REMARKS. Russian Foreign
Minister Andrei Kozyrev attempted to clarify statements he made
on 15 March in Baltiisk about the need for Russia to maintain
"an imposing presence" in the Baltic Sea region. According to
a report carried by Radio Helsinki, Kozyrev denied that he was
trying to make a case for keeping troops in the Baltic states.
Kozyrev said he was speaking only about forces in Kaliningrad
Oblast, which, according to Kozyrev, were needed to protect it
against German and other countries' claims. On 16 March, Estonian
Prime Minister Mart Laar expressed concern at Kozyrev's statements
made in Baltiisk and suggested a connection between Kozyrev's
remarks and the political situation in Russia. Latvian Foreign
Minister Georgs Andrejevs also voiced concern, BNS reported on
16 March. Suzanne Crow

FRENCH PRESIDENT VISTS RUSSIA. French President Francois Mitterrand
and Foreign Minister Roland Dumas, on a one-day visit to Moscow
on 16 March, held talks with their counterparts, Boris Yeltsin
and Andrei Kozyrev on ways to support reform in Russia, Western
assistance, and the situation in the former Yugoslavia. (Kozyrev
rushed from Helsinki to Moscow to attend the meetings.) Mitterrand
called for an early meeting of major industrialized nations,
perhaps in April, to discuss aid to Russia, and Yeltsin made
a plea for urgent financial assistance from the West, arguing
that without such help Russia could soon be "on the edge of the
abyss." In a joint statement, the two presidents expressed support
for the Vance-Owen peace plan for Bosnia-Herzegovina and demanded
an immediate ceasefire, Western agencies and ITAR-TASS reported.
Suzanne Crow



IMF PROPOSAL TO HELP RUSSIA. The International Monetary Fund
is promoting the creation of additional Special Drawing Rights
(SDRs) to fund support for Russia, according to Reuters on 16
March. By issuing SDRs to its 175 member nations, the IMF would
pump up global currency reserves. The richer nations could then
return the SDRs to be placed in a trust fund to lend to countries
that are attempting to stabilize their economies and carry out
radical reforms. Russia would be a prime candidate. Potential
Western donor nations would thus not have to allocate aid from
their national budgets. One unnamed source was quoted as saying:
"This is sort of magic, but it warrants serious consideration."
Keith Bush



TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

YELTSIN DECREE ON CAUCASUS MILITARY STRUCTURES; COSSACKS. Boris
Yeltsin signed a decree on 15 March ordering a reorganization
of existing Russian military structures in the North Caucasus
region of Russia. According to a vaguely worded ITAR-TASS report
on 16 March, the decree dissolved the Caucasus Border Forces
District and created in its place a North Caucasus Border Forces
District, headquartered at Stavropol. It also ordered the formation
of what were described as general purpose mobile forces which,
apparently, will initially act as "immediate reaction forces."
These units will be drawn from the forces of the North Caucasus
Military District. The decree also contained provisions on the
status and functioning of Cossack units in the army, the Interior
Ministry, and the Security Ministry. An interdepartmental commission
on Cossack affairs, attached to the Council of Ministers, was
established. Stephen Foye

ABKHAZIAN FORCES LAUNCH OFFENSIVE AGAINST SUKHUMI. Abkhazian
troops launched an offensive against Georgian forces located
in the city of Sukhumi on 16 March. That evening ITAR-TASS reported
that the front line had stabilized but on the morning of 17 March
Russian TV's "Vesti" news program reported that intense fighting
was continuing. The report showed Abkhazian troops supported
by T-54/55 tanks apparently advancing within the city's boundaries.
Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze traveled to Sukhumi on 16
March to conduct meetings with military commanders. "Vesti" reported
that bombs had fallen near the building where the meeting was
being held, but no reports on possible damage or casualties had
been received. According to Ostankino TV's "Novosti" news broadcast
of 17 March, Shevardnadze is considering a full-scale mobilization
in Georgia and will make a decision on the issue within a day
or two. Shevardnadze claimed that the Russian army had concentrated
a large amount of combat equipment at the Eshera base located
near Sukhumi and stated that the Georgian military had ordered
the Russian base commander to withdraw all his personnel, leaving
the equipment for the Georgian forces. He also accused Russian
forces of supporting the Abkhazian attack, a charge which has
been denied by both Russian and Abkhazian officials. The Russian
commander of forces in Gudauta has reportedly been summoned to
discuss the situation with Georgian leaders. John Lepingwell


ALIEV IN TEHRAN. Nakhichevan parliament chairman Geidar Aliev
flew to Tehran on 16 March on a two day official visit, Reuters
reported quoting IRNA. Aliev was met at Tehran airport by Iranian
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, and expressed thanks for
"considerable" financial assistance in overcoming the breakdown
in food supplies to Nakhichevan resulting from the ongoing fighting
between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Liz Fuller

TAJIK STATE PROSECUTOR REQUESTS BANNING OF OPPOSITION. Tajikistan's
State Prosecutor has asked the country's Supreme Court to ban
the four major groups that constituted the anti-Communist opposition
coalition in 1992, ITAR-TASS reported on 16 March. The organizations
to be prohibited are the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, the
Islamic Renaissance Party, the Tajik nationalist movement Rastokhez,
and the Lali Badakhshan Movement, which seeks greater autonomy
for Gorno-Badakhshan. The State Prosecutor, Makhmadsaid Salekhov,
claims that all four groups had violated their own charters and
engaged in terrorist activity. He also blamed them for the 1992
civil war, as has become the practice of the present Tajik government.
Arrest warrants have been issued for some of the leaders of the
Democratic and Islamic Renaissance Parties, but Rastokhez and
Lali Badakhshan have been largely ignored by the Dushanbe government.
Their inclusion in the list of organizations to be banned indicates
that the government intends to silence all effective opposition.
Bess Brown

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



INTERIOR MINISTERS FAIL TO AGREE ON REFUGEE PACT. Senior officials
from six East European countries failed to reach a multilateral
accord on how to cope with changes in German law concerning the
transfer of refugees to so-called safe-countries. At the conference,
which took place on 16 March in Prague, the interior ministers
of Poland, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and
Slovenia agreed instead to work out a network of bilateral agreements.
Pending amendments to Germany's liberal asylum laws will allow
authorities to send back foreigners who are denied asylum to
the country through which they crossed into Germany. Experts
believe that this will have serious consequences for Poland and
the Czech Republic, because most of the 440,000 people who applied
for asylum in Germany last year entered through these countries.
-Jan Obrman

PREPARATIONS FOR ESTONIAN-LATVIAN FREE TRADE ACCORD. At their
meeting on 15 March at a castle near Limbazi, Latvia, Estonian
and Latvian leaders discussed economic reforms, cooperation in
defense matters, security of borders, and the relationship of
the Latvian lats to the Estonian kroon. The prime ministers also
reached an agreement on bilateral free trade between their two
countries since earlier trade accords are inoperative. Estonian
premier Mart Laar noted that though it is not possible to conclude
a trilateral free trade agreement among the three Baltic States
at this time, such an accord would, nonetheless, be concluded
between Estonia and Latvia, Diena and BNS reported on 16 March.
-Dzintra Bungs

LITHUANIA, BELARUS SIGN FREE TRADE TREATY. On 16 March in Vilnius
Belarus Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich and his acting Lithuanian
counterpart Bronislovas Lubys signed treaties on free trade and
economic cooperation for 1993, Radio Lithuania reports. Kebich
also met with President Algirdas Brazauskas and Seimas chairman
Ceslovas Jursenas. Belarus intends to purchase 4-billion kilowatt
hours of electricity, fertilizers, electrical equipment, timber
products, and consumer goods from Lithuania, which in turn will
buy tractors, trucks, motor oils, chemical products, and raw
materials for light industry. Although Lithuania had signed economic
cooperation treaties with seven other former USSR republics,
this is its first free-trade treaty, in which the sole exception
is agricultural products. -Saulius Girnius

FREE TRADE ZONE BETWEEN CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVENIA. Czech Prime
Minister Vaclav Klaus told journalists after a government meeting
on 16-March that the Czech Republic will sign a free trade-zone
agreement during Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek's official
visit to Prague scheduled for 6 May. CTK quoted Klaus as having
said that the agreement will go far beyond the provisions of
the free-trade agreement among the Visegrad countries (Poland,
Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia). He added that the
agreement between the two republics will serve as a good illustration
for Prague's willingness to support integration efforts in Central
and Eastern Europe. -Jan Obrman

ROMANIA, CROATIA SIGN COOPERATION ACCORD. Rompres said on 16
March that Croatian Foreign Minister Zdenko Skrabalo signed an
agreement in Bucharest, at the end of his visit to the Romanian
capital. The agreement establishes a permanent political dialogue
and provides for cooperation in international bodies such as
the CSCE. The two countries also agreed to exchange visits of
their leaders. -Michael Shafir

ESTONIA TO LEAD BALTIC REGIONAL COUNCIL. At a meeting in Helsinki
on 16 March Estonia was unanimously elected to act as the leader
of the Baltic Sea States Council, BNS reports. Founded in March
1992 in Copenhagen on the initiative of Germany and Denmark,
the council was envisaged as a forum for addressing issues of
common concern and not dealt with specifically by other international
organizations. The council unites Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden,
Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. -Dzintra
Bungs

ARE SERBS BOMBING EASTERN BOSNIA? ON 17-MARCH THE LOS ANGELES
TIMES AND THE BBC QUOTED UN OFFICIALS IN ZAGREB THE PREVIOUS
DAY AS SAYING THAT THREE LIGHT PLANES HAD BOMBED TWO MUSLIM VILLAGES
ON 11 MARCH. The report did not identify the nationality of the
aircraft, but noted that they flew off in the direction of Serbia.
There have been over 400 reported violations by all sides of
the UN's no-fly zone over Bosnia since that zone was declared
in October 1992, but this appears to be the first documented
case of a bombing. On 15 March the BBC reported from eastern
Bosnia that Muslim helicopters evacuated injured fighters and
that the Serbs received support from aircraft coming from Montenegro.
If the latter report is true and if the bomb-droppers did indeed
fly to Serbia, these facts would once again show the link between
Serbian forces inside and outside of Bosnia. The Serbs on either
side of the border deny that such a tie exists, but the conglomeration
of Serbian forces throughout the former Yugoslavia have shown
a remarkable ability since starting the war in 1991 to pursue
a uniform set of strategic goals aimed at setting up a greater
Serb state. -Patrick Moore

STILL NO RELIEF FOR SREBRENICA. International media said on 17
March that Serb forces in eastern Bosnia continued to block a
UN convoy bound for the besieged town despite promises of safe
passage from Serb political and military leaders. Serb commander
Gen. Ratko Mladic also failed to show up for a meeting on 16
March with UN commander Gen. Philippe Morillon, who remains intent
on staying in Srebrenica until the convoy arrives. The siege
of that mainly Muslim town is in its eleventh month. -Patrick
Moore

POLISH COALITION TO COMPROMISE ON MASS PRIVATIZATION. Prime Minister
Hanna Suchocka chaired a two-hour meeting of the government coalition
on 16 March in an effort to muster full support for the much
delayed "mass privatization" program. The final Sejm vote on
mass privatization is scheduled for 18 March. The coalition's
liberals reluctantly yielded to pressure from the conservative
Christian National Union to amend the program to include children
among the recipients of shares in mutual investment funds. Privatization
Minister Janusz Lewandowski said this amendment would reduce
the value of shares and slow the program's implementation, but
would not destroy its basic economic sense. He distributed "crib
sheets" to guide coalition members through the 60 proposed amendments
to be voted on 18 March, PAP reports. The compromise on mass
privatization convinced the Christian National Union to support
the government's request for the right to issue decrees, which
is now scheduled for an initial Sejm debate in two weeks' time.
-Louisa Vinton

POLAND BEGINS MILITARY EXERCISES. On 16-March Poland began its
largest military maneuvers since the collapse of communism, Polish
TV reports. Some 5,000 soldiers, 100 tanks, 100 airplanes, and
60 helicopters are taking part in the exercises-code-named "Maple
'93"-which are being held over four days in the Mazury lake region.
The TV news noted with some concern that each tank round costs
4 million zloty ($250) and predicted that only one antiaircraft
missile would be fired because each costs 800-million zloty ($50,000).
Defense Minister Janusz Onyszkiewicz countered that "without
exercises the army loses its combat readiness and thus, in spite
of budgetary difficulties, we must devote resources to training;
the army cannot be an army in a can." The 1993 budget allocates
6 trillion zloty ($375 million), or 19% of the defense budget,
for training. President Lech Walesa is scheduled to observe the
maneuvers on 19 March. -Louisa Vinton

ANDREJCAK NAMED SLOVAK DEFENSE MINISTER. Imrich Andrejcak, who
was Czechoslovakia's last defense minister, was named first Slovak
defense minister by President Michal Kovac, Slovak TV reported
on 16 March. Andrejcak, 52, was a professional soldier (colonel
general) before he entered his political career in 1990. He was
member of the CPCS between 1960 and 1989, but has not joined
any political grouping since. It is widely believed, however,
that he has close ties to the ruling Movement for a Democratic
Slovakia of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar who nominated him
for the post. At a press conference after his naming, Andrejcak
told journalists that he favored the creation of a professional
army but that any such plans will have to be postponed due to
the lack of financial means. He added that the question of whether
Slovakia should join NATO will not be an issue until Slovakia
meets certain political, military, and economic conditions. He
also indicated his willingness to send a Slovak Army unit to
the former Yugoslavia as part of the UN peace-keeping effort.
-Jan Obrman

HUNGARIAN MONEY TRANSFERS TO MOSCOW NO CRIME. The Chief Prosecutor's
office said in a statement issued on 16 March that leading officials
of the Hungarian National Bank and the communist party did not
commit a crime when they transferred millions of dollars to Moscow
between 1950 and 1987, MTI reports. The Hungarian Socialist Workers'
Party, channeled at least $14 million to a solidarity fund set
up to sponsor communist parties worldwide. The statement said
that under regulations in effect at the time the head of the
Hungarian National Bank and his deputy were authorized to transfer
foreign currency to HSWP. Investigations were launched last March.
-Edith Oltay

HUNGARIAN COURT RULES ON MEDIA. On 16-March the Constitutional
Court confirmed an earlier ruling that a resolution, dating from
the communist era, that places Hungarian Radio and TV under government
supervision is to stay in effect until a law on the media is
enacted by parliament, MTI reports. In June 1992 the court ruled
that the resolution was unconstitutional, and set November 1992
as the deadline for enacting a law on the media. The media law
still has not been passed, however, because of disagreements
between the ruling coalition and opposition parties; it would
require a two-thirds majority in Parliament. The court emphasized
that it is not the placing of radio and TV under government supervision
that was unconstitutional but the fact that there are currently
no laws to ensure freedom of expression. The court again called
on the parliament to enact a law on the media. -Edith Oltay

BULGARIA SPEEDS UP LAND REFORM. Presenting the latest figures
on the progress of land reform on 16 March, officials of the
Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture said former owners of farm
land are now receiving their property back at a faster pace than
under the previous government. Dimitar Dinkov, who is directing
the reform, told BTA that some 20% of the land is expected to
have been restored by the end of March, as opposed to 10% in
late December. As one of the key problems at present, Dinkov
mentioned the lack of documents proving ownership rights and
the unwillingness of local authorities to implement the reform.
The costs of further delays in distributing land are becoming
increasingly clear to the government, which on 4 March felt compelled
to announce a ban on the export of grain. -Kjell Engelbrekt

LABOR UNREST IN ROMANIA. Thousands demonstrated in Bucharest
on 16 March to protest falling living standards, and smaller
demonstrations were held in other cities as well, local and Western
agencies report. The protests, organized this time by the National
Union Bloc, which represents workers in a wide range of industries,
follow similar demonstrations earlier this month. The demonstrators
left letters specifying their demands at the seats of the presidency,
the government, and the parliament. -Michael Shafir

MELESCANU IN LONDON. Romanian Foreign Minister Theodor Melescanu
is expected to discuss possible compensation for his country
as a result of losses produced by the embargo against rump Yugoslavia,
an RFE/RL correspondent reports. Melescanu is meeting Britain's
foreign secretary Douglas Hurd on 17-March. A spokesman at the
Romanian embassy in London said it is estimated Romania has lost
$7 billion. A British spokesman said that the agenda will also
include Romania's relations with the European Community and with
the West in general. -Michael Shafir

LEBED ON "RED ARMY" AS PEACEKEEPER. Lt.-Gen. Aleksandr Lebed,
commander of Russia's 14th Army in Moldova, told Ostankino TV
on 14 March that the Dniester conflict and other conflicts in
the former USSR "are being sorted out by the workers'-and-peasants'
Red Army," and that the honor of his officers would not permit
them to leave Moldova until the status and borders of the "Dniester
republic" are guaranteed. He again urged that the "Dniester republic"
join the Russian Federation in a relationship similar to that
of Finland to the Russian Empire. -Vladimir Socor

MOLDOVA INTERESTED IN FOREIGN BIDS FOR DANUBE PORT. Moldova intends
to build a port at a cost of $40 million for ships of up to 20,000
tons at Giurgiulesti on its one-kilometer-long stretch of the
maritime Danube, government officials have announced in a series
of recent statements. The first of the five planned facilities
will be an oil terminal for receiving petroleum from the Middle
Eastern. Moldova will solicit foreign financing and foreign designs
for the port, according to officials cited by Basapress -Vladimir
Socor

UKRAINIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS DETERIORATING. Ukrainian officials
and Western diplomats in Kiev are quoted by the Financial Times
of 17 March as saying that a new freeze in Ukrainian-Russian
relations is likely. A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry official told
the newspaper that conservatives have taken over the Russian
foreign policy establishment and are trying to bring Ukraine
back under Russian "hegemony." Western diplomats are said to
be concerned about this trend, citing Russian "warnings" to East
European capitals not to develop ties with Ukraine because they
would soon be "downgraded to consular sections." -Roman Solchanyk


PROPOSALS FOR NEW GOVERNMENT, BANK OF LITHUANIA CHAIRMAN. On
16 March President Algirdas Brazauskas issued a decree confirming
the composition of the new government, Radio Lithuania reports.
The Seimas has to approve the cabinet along with the program
of the new prime minister Adolfas Slezevicius within 15 days.
There are three new ministers: energy-Algimantas Vladas Stasiukynas,
forestry-Gintautas Kavalcikas, and health-Jurgis Bredikis; Algimantas
Matulevicius's post of minister without portfolio was abolished.
Brazauskas also presented his candidate for chairman of the Bank
of Lithuania, Romualdas Visakavicius, the current chairman of
the Litimpex Bank, one of the first commercial banks in Vilnius.
-Saulius Girnius

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF LATVIAN SHIPPING. Verners Gabranovs
told BNS on 11 March that the commercial company "Latvian Shipping"
is in a precarious situation owing to unpaid Soviet debts worth
$74.5 million. The company agreed to assume the debts in return
for the delivery of natural gas and oil of equivalent value.
The company was not able to realize these resources in due time
and has enlisted the help of the Industry and Energy Resources
Ministry. In the meantime debt repayments are overdue and the
company's ships could be seized and auctioned off. BNS also reports
about "pirates" attacking a Latvian freighter in the Colombian
port of Turbo on 5 March; attempted attacks on the ship had been
reported during previous voyages to Turbo. Despite these problems,
Ventspils harbor will be reconstructed to meet European standards,
possibly with the help of Estonian and Dutch firms , according
to Olafs Berkis, director of Venoil, a Latvian-British joint
venture, so that fuels can be transported more efficiently. Venoil
is also working on a quota agreement for oil from Kazakhstan,
BNS reported on 13 March. -Dzintra Bungs

LITHUANIA, DENMARK SIGN NUCLEAR SAFETY AGREEMENT. On 16 March
in Copenhagen Lithuanian Energy Minister Leonas Asmantas and
Danish Interior Minister Birte Weiss signed an intergovernmental
agreement on exchange of information and cooperation in the field
of nuclear safety and protection against radiation, Radio Lithuania
reports. Lithuania is seeking similar agreements with Scandinavian
and other interested European governments. -Saulius Girnius

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Wendy Slater and Charles Trumbull





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