No. 65, 05 April 1993

RUSSIA



YELTSIN RETURNS FROM SUMMIT WITH $1.6 BILLION IN US AID. US President
Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin were reported
by various Western and Russian media to be very satisfied with
the outcome of their weekend summit in Vancouver. The two leaders
discussed a wide variety of issues-economic, military and political,
but the most important result of the meeting was a $1.6 billion
US aid package for Russia. The assistance, to be distributed
over the 1993 fiscal year, will include over $214 million in
grants for food and medical supplies; over $470 million in grants
for technical assistance, training, and programs for dismantling
nuclear weapons and facilities; and over $932-million in credits
for grain imports and investment guarantees. Clinton also promised
to exert pressure on the other G-7 nations, the IMF, and the
World Bank to provide more aid and to work to ease restrictions
on Russian imports and exports. In their statements at the closing
news conference on 4 April, the two leaders referred to the positive
personal rapport which they had established, and emphasized the
broader implications of the summit. "We have laid the foundation
for a new democratic partnership between the United States and
Russia," Clinton said. -Erik Whitlock and Robert Lyle

SECURITY ISSUES AT THE SUMMIT. The joint declaration issued at
the Vancouver summit dealt with a broad range of security issues.
According to ITAR-TASS reports on 4-5 April, the two presidents
emphasized the importance of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
and their expectation that Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus will
confirm their adherence to that treaty. The two sides also agreed
to intensify efforts to win ratification of the START-1 and START-2
Treaties, and called for broader cooperation between Moscow and
Washington on a number of security questions, including the peaceful
resolution of international conflicts and the promotion of democratic
values. A statement on the importance of protecting civil rights
for Russian minorities was balanced by a declaration of respect
for the independence, territorial integrity, and security of
all member states of the UN and the CSCE. At the same time, the
US aid package to Russia included a $6 million package aimed
at helping with the resettlement of demobilized Russian troops;
450 houses are to be built within the next 12-16 months. -Stephen
Foye

PARIS CLUB RESCHEDULES FSU DEBT. On 2 April, on the eve of the
US-Russian summit, the Paris Club of 19 Western creditor nations
rescheduled part of the debt repayment of the former Soviet Union,
Western agencies reported. Russia will be asked to repay only
$2-billion of the estimated $15 billion due in 1993, with a grace
period of 6 months before repayments start. Repayment of the
balance of official debt due will be restructured over the next
ten years. The rescheduling was seen as an important political
gesture to President Yeltsin. In economic terms, the agreement
was more in the realm of accounting, as Russia had in any case
not been repaying most of the principal and interest due on the
FSU debt. -Keith Bush

KHASBULATOV ATTACKS WEST, RECEIVES HARDLINE SUPPORT. Parliamentary
speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov organized a briefing for foreign diplomats
in Moscow at which he criticized Western countries for supporting
President Boris Yeltsin, according to ITAR-TASS on 2 April. He
said that it is the Russian parliament and not the president
which represents democracy. He added that without Western support
Yeltsin would never have decided to declare special rule as he
did on 20 March. Meanwhile, right wingers have lined up in support
of Khasbulatov. Russian nationalist writer Aleksandr Prokhanov,
in an interview with Narodnaya pravda (no. 11), indicated that
he would support the coming to power of a "pro-Russian patriot"
such as Khasbulatov and praised Khasbulatov for his anti-Americanism.
Khasbulatov also received support from the co-leader of the National
Salvation Front, Mikhail Astafev, who denounced the idea of a
democratically elected president and called for a return to the
power of the soviets. -Alexander Rahr

BASHKORTOSTAN TO INCLUDE OWN REFERENDUM QUESTION. The Bashkortostan
parliament voted on 2 April to hold the all-Russian referendum
scheduled for 25 April on its territory but at the same time
to pose an additional question, AFP reported. The question runs:
Do you think that the Republic of Bashkortostan should be an
independent economic entity and have an agreement with the Russian
Federation based on the Federal Treaty and its appendices in
the interests of all the peoples of the Republic of Bashkortostan?
Bashkortostan has been demanding economic independence. One of
the objections voiced to holding the all-Russian referendum was
that the republics and regions might decide to include their
own questions, as Russia did in the all-Union referendum of March
1991; but the Russian parliament prohibited any changes in the
questions when it approved the referendum. -Ann Sheehy

YELTSIN MOVES TO SAFEGUARD CONTROL OVER OSTANKINO TV. On 3 April,
according to Russian television newscasts, Boris Yeltsin signed
a decree granting Ostankino TV and radio the status of an "international
television and radio company." In the decree, Yeltsin cited a
decision of the heads of governments of CIS countries, which
was earlier understood as referring to another company called
"Mir" (Peace) and headed by a Kazakh journalist. The decree seems
to have been prompted by a resolution of the most recent Congress
of People's Deputies, which removed the state radio and TV companies
from the control of the executive powers, putting in their place
supervision of broadcasting by the representative bodies of state
power. -Julia Wishnevsky

CHUBAIS FIGHTS BACK. Anatolii Chubais, Russian Deputy Prime Minister
in charge of the privatization program, strongly rejected Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin's criticism of the pace at which
privatization is being carried out, Reuters reported on 2-April.
Chernomyrdin in St. Petersburg on 1 April had compared the privatization
of state property with Stalin's brutal land collectivization
policies in the 1930s. Speaking at a meeting of the heads of
privatized firms in Moscow, Chubais said that "no honest man
would dare to make such a comparison". The privatization program
has been criticized by parliament, and, according to Chubais,
is also under attack form those in government circles who fear
that the process will deprive them of their grip on power. -Sheila
Marnie

GERASHCHENKO SENDS OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNMENT. In an open letter
to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, published in Rossiiskaya
gazeta of 2-April, the Chairman of the Russian Central Bank Viktor
Gerashchenko made a formal response to the recent accusation
of Deputy Prime Minister Boris Fedorov (see RFE/RL Daily Report
for 23 and 24-March) that the bank leadership was sabotaging
economic reform. Gerashchenko countered the charge saying that
the government's approach to reform is unrealistic, presupposing
a monetary policy appropriate for a developed market economy
rather than the Russian economy. Rather than being criticized
for excessive money creation, the Central Bank should be commended
for keeping enough liquidity in the economy to avoid collapse.
Gerashchenko added that the government was to blame for inflation,
as "credits to the government in 1992 played a decisive role
in the growth of [total credit] emissions." -Erik Whitlock

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



ARMENIAN FORCES TAKE KELBADZHAR, LAUNCH NEW OFFENSIVE. Armenian
forces advanced to the town of Kelbadzhar in western Azerbaijan
on 2 April and finally occupied the town on 3 April after heavy
fighting, Western agencies reported. Azerbaijani spokesmen said
that many civilians were either killed in the fighting or died
trying to flee north to Gyandzha in inclement weather conditions.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry estimated that Armenian forces
now control up to 10 per cent of the entire territory of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani President Abulfaz Elchibey declared a 60-day state
of emergency on 2 April and ordered the immediate mobilization
of young men aged 18-27, according to the Los Angeles Times of
4 April. On 4 April Armenian forces backed by tanks and artillery
launched a new offensive on the town of Fizuli, which is located
a few miles outside Nagorno-Karabakh's south-east border. -Liz
Fuller



AZERBAIJAN APPEALS TO TURKEY, US, IRAN; DIPLOMATIC RESPONSE.
On 2 April Azerbaijani President Abulfaz Elchibey called on US
President Clinton and Russian President Yeltsin to condemn Armenian
aggression and impose sanctions on Armenia. Azerbaijan's Ambassador
to the US Hafiz Pashayev addressed a similar appeal to US Secretary
of State Warren Christopher, Western agencies reported. Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Tofik Gasymov was quoted by Reuters as stating
that the ongoing CSCE-sponsored Karabakh peace talks in Geneva
could not continue until Armenian forces had withdrawn from Kelbadzhar.
Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel issued a vaguely worded
warning to Armenia on 2 April to halt its "oppression of the
Azeri people;" Ankara Radio on 4 April carried a statement by
Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin condemning the Armenian
action as unacceptable and stating that the transit of humanitarian
aid via Turkey to Armenia had been halted the previous day. ITAR-TASS
reported on 2 April that the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
had summoned the Armenian envoy in Tehran to protest against
the Armenian offensive; on 4 April Azerbaijan's Ambassador to
Iran appealed at a news conference for Iranian assistance "in
halting Armenian aggression," AFP reported. Also on 4 April,
the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Jeddah, of which
Azerbaijan is a member, issued a condemnation of Armenian "aggression"
and called on the international community to "intensify efforts
to persuade Armenia to end hostilities," AFP reported. The same
day, in a statement on Russian TV, the commander of Russian forces
in Armenia denied assertions by Azerbaijan's Defense Minister
Dadash Rzaev that Russian troops had participated in the Kelbadzhar
offensive. -Liz Fuller

ABKHAZ PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN APPEALS FOR HELP. In a radio address
on 4 April quoted by Reuters, Abkhaz parliament chairman Vladislav
Ardzinba called on the international community for help, arguing
that organizations such as the UN should protest at human rights
violations by Georgia. Ardzinba affirmed yet again that Abkhazia
was ready for peace on condition that Georgian forces withdrew
from the region. -Liz Fuller



KAZAKHSTAN TO HAVE ITS OWN NAVY. Kazakhstan's President Nursultan
Nazarbaev issued a decree on 2 April on the creation of naval
forces within Kazakhstan's military establishment, ITAR-TASS
reported. The Ministry of Defense was instructed to provide the
government with suggestions on the stationing of naval forces.
Presumably Kazakhstan's naval forces would be primarily for defense
of the Caspian Sea coast. Turkmenistan raised the issue of a
common defense of the Caspian in 1992. -Bess Brown

NEW TURKMEN DEFENSE MINISTER. Radio Rossii reported on 3 April
that Turkmen Interior Minister Serdar Chariyarov has been dismissed
from his post for what were termed serious shortcomings in the
work of the Ministry. He was reassigned to a new post, that of
Turkmen Defense Minister. Mamed Kabayev, chairman of the republic's
customs service, was also reportedly dismissed for poor performance.
-Stephen Foye

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



BOSNIAN SERBS REJECT VANCE-OWEN MAP. Following a two-day session
of the self-proclaimed parliament of the Bosnian "Serbian Republic,"
on 3-April delegates voted 68-0 in Bileca against the internationally
mediated proposal to split Bosnia into 10 highly autonomous cantons.
Politika wrote on 4 April that the Serbs' message was "no to
the map, yes to peace," but the Los Angeles Times quoted the
UN Security Council as condemning the Serbs for their "unlawful,
unacceptable, abhorrent policy of ethnic cleansing." The UN is
also expected to tighten sanctions on Serbia in response to the
Bileca vote. The New York Times quoted Bosnian Foreign Minister
Haris Silajdzic as saying that the Serbs "will use the time to
continue their "'ethnic cleansing'" as they pursue "making a
mockery of the world." The 2 April NIN quotes Milovan Djilas,
the best known dissident in Tito's Yugoslavia, as saying that
Serb's failure to back the Vance-Owen plan "would mean the forcible
liquidation of the Serbian movement in Bosnia." -Patrick Moore


OTHER BOSNIAN DEVELOPMENTS. Serbian forces resumed shelling Sarajevo
and Srebrenica over the weekend, international media reported.
They allowed an aid convoy to reach Srebrenica on 4 April with
the apparent expectation that it would return with refugees on
board, but local Bosnian officials overruled Sarajevo, the UN,
and the Serbs and refused to allow any more people to be evacuated.
The officials charged that the evacuations were weakening the
defense of Srebrenica and contributing to ethnic cleansing. Meanwhile,
on 4-April the Bosnian Croatian military organization, the HVO,
demanded that Muslim army and police units evacuate the three
cantons assigned to the Croats by the internationally brokered
plan. The Croats have already taken control of much of this area
in the self-proclaimed "Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna,"
and are now tightening their grip. The BBC said that the HVO
wants to withdraw its units from areas assigned to the Muslims,
which would probably cause the defense of Gradacac and some other
areas guarded by Croat-Muslim joint forces to collapse. Finally,
Serbian dailies reported on 3 April that Serbian Orthodox Patriarch
Pavle and other top church officials met Pope John Paul II the
previous day at the Vatican to discuss Bosnia, about which the
Pope has frequently expressed great concern. -Patrick Moore

NEW GOVERNMENT IN CROATIA. Croatian Radio on 3 April announced
the cabinet of Prime Minister Nikica Valentic, who succeeded
Hrvoje Sarinic on 31 March following a series of corruption and
conflict-of-interest scandals. The new cabinet is slightly smaller
than the last one, with most of the key ministers still in place.
Sarinic himself moves to head the Office for National Security,
and the changes on the balance appear to constitute a reshuffling
of positions among the ruling Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ)
leadership. Slobodna Dalmacija said on 1 April that the new government
members would have to declare their assets and the names of groups
in which they held membership or office to reduce the possibility
of further scandals, but noted that any Croatian cabinet is limited
in its effectiveness by its dual subordination to parliament
and to the president. Vecernji list on 3 April quoted opposition
Liberal leader Drazen Budisa as making the same point, adding
that this will be the fifth post-communist government, which,
he claims, shows that Croatia is politically unstable, a view
that the HDZ firmly denies. Budisa concluded that the shuffle
may help the HDZ consolidate its own ranks but will do little
for the country. Valentic, for his part, has promised to take
quick action on the economy and look into the subject of press
freedom. -Patrick Moore

SOFIA INVESTIGATING CYPRIOT SHIP FOR BREAKING UN EMBARGO. The
daily newspaper Standart reported on 2 April that a ship registered
in Cyprus and carrying rolls of steel metal has been detained
in the port of Burgas since 18 February. The iron was allegedy
destined for Serbia in violation on the UN trade sanctions again
that country. An RFE/RL correspondent learned that the news had
been leaked to the press, contrary to customs officials wishes.
-Duncan Perry

ETHNIC HUNGARIANS CONTINUE PROTESTS IN ROMANIA. On 2 April thousands
of ethnic Hungarians demonstrated in the town of Sfintu Gheorghe
to protest the Romanian government's decision to appoint ethnic
Romanian prefects to the counties of Covasna and Harghita. The
two counties have ethnic Hungarian (Szekler) majorities. Speakers
at the rally described the appointment of Vlad Casuneanu as prefect
of Covasna as "immoral" in view of the new prefect's communist
past and ideas. In a separate development, Reformist ethnic Hungarian
Bishop Laszlo Tokes told journalists in Cluj that his recent
statements in Washington about an alleged "ethnic cleansing"
in Romania have been taken out of the context. Tokes said that
he regretted the fact that the wording awakened "unhappy associations
with the situation in Bosnia" and caused an uproar in parliament.
But he insisted that the ultimate effect of emigration and assimilation
among Magyars in Romania was similar to that of forced deportation.-Dan
Ionescu

YELTSIN WRITES TO HAVEL. In a letter delivered to President Vaclav
Havel by Russian Ambassador Alexander Lebedev on 2 April, Russian
President Boris Yeltsin thanked Havel for "his support and solidarity."
CTK reports Havel's spokesman as saying that Yeltsin's letter
was a response to Havel's letter of the end of March, which expressed
support for Yeltsin and the democratic reforms in Russia. According
to Havel, the promptness with which Yeltsin responded shows that
"relations between the two presidents are warm." Yeltsin also
wrote he accepts Havel's invitation to visit Prague; no date
for the visit was given.-Jiri Pehe

KRAVCHUK AGAIN EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR YELTSIN RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS
FROM LISTENERS DURING A LIVE PHONE-IN PROGRAM ON UKRAINIAN RADIO
ON 2-APRIL, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT LEONID KRAVCHUK, AMONG OTHER
THINGS, REITERATED HIS SUPPORT FOR HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART, BORIS
YELTSIN AND HIS POLICIES. "My support," Kravchuk explained, "and
I think that it is not only mine, but of Ukraine [as a whole],
is not so much for Boris Nikolaevich, as for reforms and democratic
changes in Russia." Ukraine, he said, wants to express this support
"by cooperating with Russia and finding ways of resolving acute
questions and not causing problems for one another." Kravchuk
also confirmed that he had invited the Russian president to visit
Kiev to "sign those documents, which we should sign with Russia."
-Bohdan Nahaylo

SLOVAK PRESIDENT ON THE MEDIA. Speaking at a meeting with members
of the Syndicate of Slovak Journalists on 2 April, Slovak President
Michal Kovac said that the media should not look only for negative
aspects of the current political developments and, rather, "be
more positive in their evaluations of the work of the parliament
and political parties." Julius Gembicky, the syndicate's chairman,
replied that journalists can fulfill their role only if they
preserve their critical attitude. At the end of March, during
his meeting with directors of the Slovak Press Agency (TASR),
Kovac said that the agency should be "an extended arm of the
president." -Jiri Pehe

POLAND SELECTS DIVERSE BROADCASTING COUNCIL. The nine members
of Poland's new National Council on Radiophonics and Television,
whose selection was completed on 4 April, represent the entire
political spectrum. The Senate selected Ryszard Miazak (Polish
Peasant Party) and Senator Jan Szafraniec (Christian National
Union) on 1 April. In two days of voting on 2 and 3 April, the
Sejm chose journalist Andrzej Zarebski (Liberal Democratic Congress),
filmmaker Boleslaw Sulik (Democratic Union), Trybuna editor Marek
Siwiec (Democratic Left), and Lech Dymarski (Movement for the
Republic). President Walesa completed his selections on 4 April,
naming journalists' union chief Maciej Ilowiecki and conservative
politician Ryszard Bender to the council. Walesa had already
appointed Marek Markiewicz as council chairman on 1-March. The
options represented on the council range from advocates of unrestricted
free speech to conservative Catholics determined to eliminate
programs deemed to violate "Christian values." Siwiec's selection
marked the first time the Sejm has elected a representative of
the Democratic Left to parliamentary office. The new council
is to oversee public radio and television and issue licenses
for private broadcasters. -Louisa Vinton

"DEMOCRATS' FORUM" HELD IN BUCHAREST. On 3 and 4 April, the Civic
Alliance, a centrist movement supporting the democratic process
in Romania, organized in Bucharest a so-called "Democrats' Forum"
to discuss ways of overcoming the country's post-communist crisis.
The conference was devoted to establishing a "national dialogue"
to help consolidate the rule of law and civic society in Romania.
All democratic opposition parties as well as trade unions, human
rights associations, churches, ecological groups and the media
were invited to take part in the event. In an interview with
Radio Bucharest on 2 April, CA president Gabriel Andreescu said
the forum is open to t members of the ruling Democratic National
Salvation Front and of such parties as the Romanian Democratic
Agrarian Party and the Party of Romanian National Unity, who
agree with the basic principles of a minimal program of democratic
action. Debates focused on the legislative framework of Romania's
current transition to democracy and a market economy. The conference
also discussed such issues as corruption and nationalism in Romania.
-Dan Ionescu

GERMAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER TO ROMANIA. On 4 April German Environment
Minister Klaus Toepfer began a two-day official visit in Romania
to inspect the return to Germany of some 425 tons of toxic waste
illegally dumped in the region of Sibiu in Transylvania in 1992
The waste had been exported by private German firms without the
permission of the federal authorities Bonn agreed to take back
the waste during a visit paid there by Romanian Foreign Minister
Teodor Melescanu last month. Toepfer is scheduled to meet Romania's
President Ion Iliescu, Prime MInister Nicolae Vacaroiu and Melescanu
on 5 April in Bucharest. He will also sign a bilateral agreement
of environmental cooperation with his Romanian counterpart Aurel
Constantin Ilie. Some 20 tons of waste have been loaded so far.on
a special train sent from Germany -Dan Ionescu

NO BULGARIAN INVOLVEMENT IN THE PLOT TO ASSISINATE POPE SAY OFFICIALS.
Bulgarian interior minister Victor Mihailov informed the National
Assembly on 2 April that there was no complicity of the Bulgarian
government in the plot to kill Pope John Paul II, according to
an RFE/RL correspondent in Sofia. The announcement was made following
a lengthy investigation of evidence collected by Italian, American,
French, and Russia authorities. -Vihar Krastev and Duncan Perry


DOLGOS CRITICIZES SLOW PACE OF PRIVATIZATION IN SLOVAKIA. Slovak
Privatization Minister Lubomir Dolgos told Reuters on 2 April
that the pace of privatization in Slovakia is slow and that the
government is failing to support the transformation of the economy.
Dolgos criticized the ministries of economy, trade, and agriculture
for "slowing down the state-owned enterprises's shift to private
ownership." He said he was tired of "privatization projects not
being approved by the government" and that he "felt a lack of
support." Dolgos's criticism of the government comes in the wake
of the resignation of Economy Minister Ludovit Cernak and the
ouster from the government of Foreign Minister Milan Knazko.
Dolgos, who in March was elected vice chairman of Vladimir Meciar's
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, told Reuters: "When I was
just a minister, my tenure here was limited; now it's more complicated
to get rid of me." -Jiri Pehe

REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY OF RUSSIAN SPEAKERS IN ESTONIA. On 3
April the Representative Assembly of Russian Speakers in Estonia
held its third session in Sillamae, Baltic media report. The
assembly adopted a draft statement noting that since there is
no state program on studying Estonian it will be difficult in
areas populated largely by Russian speakers to implement the
law requiring that all clerical work be carried out only in Estonian.
It also approved an amendment demanding that Russian be given
the status of an official language. The final statement will
be approved at the assembly's next session. -Saulius Girnius


7,600 RUSSIAN TROOPS REMAIN IN ESTONIA. Vasilii Svirin, the head
of the Russian delegation negotiating with Estonia, said after
talks with his Estonian counterpart Juri Luik that as of 1 March
there were 7,600 Russian troops in Estonia, BNS reported on 2
April. Luik said that Estonian officials are checking the accuracy
of this information and suggested that a summit meeting of presidents
or prime ministers be held this month or in early May. -Saulius
Girnius

POLISH MASS PRIVATIZATION SURVIVES ANOTHER CHALLENGE. After rejecting
a motion to dismiss Privatization Minister Janusz Lewandowski
on 2 April, the Sejm voted down a similar motion to throw out
the government's revised mass privatization package the following
day. The draft legislation was sent to a committee. In both votes,
the ruling coalition won support from some of the former communist
deputies in the Democratic Left Alliance. The government designated
the legislation as "urgent," so the Sejm is required to complete
work on it within a month. Attempts to advance this deadline
failed, although the government urged greater speed. The Sejm
rejected the government's first mass privatization proposal in
March, after two years of debate. -Louisa Vinton

RADICAL POLISH FARMERS STAGE UNRULY PROTEST. Polish police intervened
on 2 April after some 700 demonstrators from the radical Self-Defense
farmers' union broke through two police cordons and threatened
to storm the Sejm. The demonstrators threw eggs, waved cow bones,
planted a birch cross on the lawn in front of the Sejm, and demanded
that the parliament dissolve itself. Sixty-eight demonstrators,
including Self-Defense's demagogic chairman Andrzej Lepper, were
arrested. All were released by evening; police officials told
Gazeta Wyborcza that they will face misdemeanor charges for disturbing
the peace and taking part in an illegal demonstration. Self-Defense
has long been under official investigation for alleged illegal
activities. -Louisa Vinton

MOST UKRAINIAN MINERS IGNORE STRIKE CALL. The strike action by
Ukrainian coalminers which was called for the weekend seems to
have had little support. According to Ukrainian Radio of 3 April,
only 23-of Ukraine's 250 coalmines were affected by the protest.
-Bohdan Nahaylo

FOOD PRICES RISE IN LITHUANIA, ON 1 APRIL THE PRICE OF MEAT INCREASED
SUBSTANTIALLY, RADIO LITHUANIA REPORTED ON 2 APRIL. The price
of a kilogram of pork rose from 320 to 606 coupons while that
of beef from 756 to 1,289 coupons. The price of cheese increased
20 to 25% and of bread 20 to 40%. On 3 April President Algirdas
Brazauskas, Prime Minister Adolfas Slezevicius, Agriculture Minister
Rimantas Karazija, and other officials discussed the price rises
which were deemed to be excessive and suggested that a price
ceiling may be introduced. -Saulius Girnius

WORKERS PROTEST IN LITHUANIA. On 2 April police prevented about
2,000 protesters, organized by the Union of Workers of Lithuania,
from storming the parliament in Vilnius, Radio Lithuania reports.
The protesters, carrying banners condemning the Communists in
parliament and government, failed in their demands that President
Algirdas Brazauskas address them and jeered Economics Minister
Julius Veselka when he tried to speak to them. -Saulius Girnius


[As of 1200 CET] Compiled by Wenndy Slater and Michael Shafir









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