No. 84, 04 May 1993

RUSSIA



SHAKHRAI DENIES CONGRESS' LEGITIMACY. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei
Shakhrai stated on the Ostankino TV program "Itogi" on 2 May
that as the result of the referendum the Congress has lost its
legitimacy to adopt a new constitution. He said that 70-percent
of the politically active electorate had issued a no-confidence
vote in the Congress. According to Shakhrai, the constitution
should be adopted by the subjects of the Federation and the President.
He further stated that if the monetary system was not stabilized
soon, state power will collapse this autumn. He also said that
the violence witnessed during the demonstrations on 1 May were
reminiscent of provocations conducted in 1917 against the Provisional
Government of Aleksandr Kerensky after the February Revolution.
-Alexander Rahr

ANPILOV WANTS KHASBULATOV REPLACED BY A RUSSIAN. The leader of
the Russian Communist Workers' Party, Viktor Anpilov, was quoted
by Russian TV "Vesti" on 2 May as saying that the Russian parliament
should replace its chairman Ruslan Khasbulatov with a leader
of Russian nationality. He suggested that one of the leaders
of the national-bolskevik parliamentary faction "Russian Unity"-Mikhail
Astafev or Sergei Baburin-should get this job. The national-bolsheviks
had so far supported Khasbulatov in the Congress in his fight
against President Boris Yeltsin. -Alexander Rahr

RIOT POLICE HEAD BLAMES KGB, MVD, ARMY FOR RIOT. The head of
the riot police, Vitalii Keiko, claimed on 3 May that the attacks
on police at the May Day demonstration "were prepared and coordinated
professionally by active or retired members of the interior ministry,
the KGB and the army." Keiko did not produce any evidence to
back his charge, but he reported that the OMON police blocking
the demonstrators were attacked by groups that appeared prepared
to overpower and beat them. His comments were reported by AFP
on 3 May 1993. While Keiko's charges may not have much substance,
they are consistent with the claims of other politicians that
the riots were premeditated and that the right-wing represents
an organized threat to the government.--John Lepingwell

AFTERMATH OF 1 MAY DEMONSTRATIONS. President Boris Yeltsin made
a brief visit to Zelenograd near Moscow on 3 May, ITAR-TASS and
Russian TV "Vesti" reported. Speaking of the 1 May demonstrations
in Moscow, Yeltsin said that the police had been carrying out
orders and had acted in accordance with the law. He said that
the prosecutor general had set up a special investigative group,
headed by Deputy Prosecutor General Evgenii Lisov. On Ostankino
TV "Itogi" on 2 May, the head of Yeltsin's administration Sergei
Filatov had said that certain people's deputies, leaders of hardline
organizations which he accused of organizing the march, should
be stripped of their parliamentary immunity to face investigation.
-Wendy Slater

GOSKOMSTAT RELEASES FIRST QUARTER ECONOMIC RESULTS. According
to the State Committee for Statistics (Goskomstat) industrial
production at the end of the first quarter of this year was equivalent
to that at the end of last year-suggesting that the decline in
Russia's economic activity may be stabilizing. Goskomstat figures
also reflect continuing structural change in the economy. A fourth
of the nation's labor force is employed in new forms of enterprises
(leased enterprises, joint-stock companies, concerns and private
companies). In January and February 11 thousand enterprises were
privatized, and revenues to state budgets since the beginning
of last year reached about 49 billion rubles. The official unemployment
rate reached a full percentage point at the end of March. The
results were published by various Russian news agencies on 29-and
30 April. -Erik Whitlock

50,000-RUBLE NOTES COMING. According to Ostankino Channel 1 TV
on 28 April, citing the first deputy chairman of the Russian
Central Bank, the new 50,000-ruble notes may come into circulation
as early as May or June. -Keith Bush

IRAN CONFIRMS PLANS TO BUY 2 MORE RUSSIAN SUBS. The commander
of the Iranian navy has confirmed that Iran intends to purchase
two more diesel-powered attack submarines from Russia in the
near future, according to an ITAR-TASS report of 4 May. The Kilo-class
submarine that was delivered to Iran in November 1992, over strong
protests from the US government, is currently participating in
exercises in the Persian Gulf. In late 1992 it was reported that
one more sub was being outfitted near St. Petersburg, while another
was under construction. John Lepingwell

NEW GOVERNOR OF KRASNOYARSK KRAI. The second round of voting
in elections of a new head of administration in Krasnoyarsk krai
took place on 25-April, following an inconclusive first round
on 11-April. "Radio Rossii" reported on 3 May that 39-year old
Valerii Zubov, formerly in charge of economic management in the
local administration, had been elected by almost half the electorate.
He pledged to work constructively together with Russia's federal
authorities. Zubov defeated 11 other candidates, including the
former chairman of the krai soviet, Nikolai Kondratenko. -Wendy
Slater

PROBLEM OF RETURN OF INGUSH REFUGEES STILL NOT SOLVED. The president
of the Ingush Republic, Ruslan Aushev, has sent a letter to Yeltsin
expressing his concern about the delay in solving the question
of the return of Ingush refugees to the Prigorodnyi raion of
North Ossetia and saying that it was urgent that one of the top
leaders of the Russian Federation should visit Ingushetia while
the situation was still controllable, ITAR-TASS reported on 3
May, citing the press service of the temporary administration.
An official of the administration said that its representatives
were continuing to try to get the Ossetian and Ingush sides to
agree on joint actions to check that the refugees were legally
registered as residents of Prigorodnyi raion and had not participated
in the armed clashes. A stumbling block is that many of the Ingush
in Prigorodnyi raion did not have residence permits. Ann Sheehy


KALMYK SUPREME SOVIET DISSOLVES ITSELF AT REQUEST OF PRESIDENT.
At its last session on 30-April, the Kalmyk Supreme Soviet adopted
three important documents, Ekho Moskvy reported. One was a law
on amendments to the constitution, the second disbanded the 130-deputy
Supreme Soviet and replaced it with a "professional parliament"
consisting of 25 of the existing deputies, and the third was
a decree abolishing the local soviets. These actions were taken
at the request of the newly-elected president of Kalmykia, the
30-year-old billionaire Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. In his two weeks
in office, Ilyumzhinov had already reorganized the council of
ministers and reduced the state apparatus ten-fold, ITAR-TASS
reported on 30 April. Unlike the Mordovian parliament's abolition
of the presidency, the actions of the Kalmyk parliament have
not provoked any action from Yeltsin or his supporters, but according
to Russian television of 30 April, Ramazan Abdulatipov, chairman
of the Russian parliament's Council of Nationalities, has asked
parliamentary committees and commissions to prepare a report
on the situation in Kalmykia. -Ann Sheehy

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



NEW PEACE PLAN PROPOSED FOR NAGORNO-KARABAKH. Meeting in Moscow
on 29-30 April, the US, Turkey and Russia drew up a new peace
plan for Nagorno-Karabakh intended to restart the stalled CSCE-sponsored
negotiations, Western agencies reported on 3-May quoting Turkish
Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin. The plan calls for an immediate
ceasefire followed by the withdrawal between 9-14 May of Armenian
forces from Kelbadzhar and a two-month moratorium on all military
activity beginning on 12 May. Peace talks would be held in Geneva
on 17-22 May followed by a resumption of the CSCE-sponsored negotiations
in Rome on 24-25 May. Details of the plan were submitted to the
authorities in Erevan, Baku and Stepanakert on 3 May. -Liz Fuller


KYRGYZSTAN ACCORDED DEVELOPING NATION STATUS. The Kyrgyz foreign
ministry has announced that the republic has been accorded the
status of a developing nation, ITAR-TASS reported on 27 April.
This new status will reportedly entitle Kyrgyzstan to "all forms
of economic assistance, " including preferential credits from
the World Bank. In its "Social Indicators of Development 1993,
" the World Bank estimated the 1991 per capita GNP for Kyrgyzstan
to be $1,550, against $1,040 for Tajikistan, $1,350 for Uzbekistan,
and $3,220 for the Russian Federation. -Keith Bush

KYRGYZSTAN TO INTRODUCE OWN CURRENCY. Western and Russian news
agencies reported on 3 May that Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Soviet had
yielded to the appeals of President Askar Akaev and voted to
introduce a national currency, the som, which will replace the
ruble. Kyrgyzstan will therefore leave the ruble zone, as various
government officials have been proposing it should for at least
a year. The International Monetary Fund has encouraged Kyrgyzstan
to leave the ruble zone promising a credit of $50 million to
support the new currency. The World Bank has also promised $60
million. A number of industrialized states have offered an aid
package to Kyrgyzstan not only to support the new currency, but
to enable it to continue its market reform. Russian TV's evening
news show traced Kyrgyzstan's action to the influence of Japan,
which Akaev had visited two weeks earlier, and commented that
a recent poll in Kyrgyzstan had shown that 70% of the population
was opposed to a new economic shock. -Bess Brown

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



SECURITY COUNCIL PROCEEDING ON BOSNIAN PEACE PLAN. RFE/RL's UN
corrrespondent reported on 3 May that Security Council President
Yuli Vorontsov said that that body will hear reports on the Athens
conference on 4 May from international negotiators Lord Owen
and Cyrus Vance. The Council will then consider "what concrete
actions" to take, going on the assumption that the Bosnian Serb
parliament on 5 May will endorse Radovan Karadzic's signature.
The mediators' spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said, "it is now between
the Serbs" as to what happens next. Meanwhile, US Secretary of
State Warren Christopher is continuing his tour of allied capitals
to discuss military options. Major American dailies and the BBC
on 4 May quote US television reports to the effect that a team
of US military experts is already in Bosnia checking out possible
targets. -Patrick Moore

MORE SERBIAN OPPOSITION REACTION TO PEACE PLAN. Most opposition
parties in Serbia-Montenegro approved the decision by Bosnian
Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to sign the Vance-Owen peace plan
on Bosnia. Dragoljub Micunovic, head of the Democratic Party
said that political considerations should influence the Bosnian
Serb assembly to ratify Karadzic's signature. Micunovic added
that "extremists" who advocate a continuation of the war, including
Vojislav Seselj's Radical Party and "all those who are against
the Vance-Owen peace plan," should be "neutralized." Vuk Draskovic,
president of the Serbian Renewal Movement, said he doubts that
the Bosnian Serb assembly will accept the Vance-Owen plan. He
told Studio B TV on 3 May, "we should now ask ourselves why the
plan was not signed on 26 April at the previous session of the
Bosnian Serb assembly, when such an action would have spared
Serbia-Montenegro from sanctions." Radoslav Stojanovic, vice
president of the Serbian Democratic Party, said the signing of
the Vance-Owen plan means defeat of the regime's policy and expressed
hope that this will not mean a defeat of the Serbian people as
well. Novak Kilibarda, president of the National Party of Montenegro,
said that Karadzic's signature on the plan does not only mean
that "a situation of toleration in Bosnia and easing of sanctions
have been reached" but also that "war-mongers and paramilitary
profiteers have been removed from center stage." Radios Serbia
and B92 carried the reports. -Milan Andrejevich

SERBIAN RESERVATIONS AND REJECTION OF THE PLAN. Strong reservations
are being expressed in Eastern Herzegovina as well. The prevailing
opinion is that the Bosnian Serb parliament will verify Karadzic's
signature on the Vance-Owen plan only on condition that Bosnian
Serbs are offered some concession. Vojislav Seselj, leader of
the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), the biggest opposition party
in the federal and Serbian parliaments, said, however, that the
self-declared assembly of Bosnian Serbs must not ratify the plan.
He told a meeting of supporters in Montenegro: "They should not
give in to pressure, even from Belgrade." There is talk in Belgrade
that Seselj might attempt to destabilize the Socialist-dominated
federal and republican governments by calling for a vote of confidence.
Such a move would be viewed as an attempt to force the parliaments
to accept key SRS members in a newly-formed government. Radio
Serbia carried the report on 3 May. -Milan Andrejevich

COMMITTEE ON CROAT-SERB TIES FORMED. Radio Croatia reports on
3 May that the Croatian Defense and National Security Council
has established a special committee to determine the political
criteria for normalizing relations with Serbia. The State Committee
for the Normalization of Croatian-Serbian Relations is chaired
by former Prime Minister Josip Manolic. Members of the committee
include prominent Croat and Serb intellectuals. The committee's
guidelines specify that it must be open to all suggestions regarding
the normalization of relations. -Milan Andrejevich

VAN DEN BROEK LEAVES PRAGUE-.-.-. EC Commissioner for External
Relations and Security Hans van den Broek left Prague on 3 May,
CTK reports. After his departure, Czech Foreign Minister Josef
Zieleniec told journalists that he expects the conclusion of
the new association agreement with the EC "very soon." Prime
Minister Vaclav Klaus complained of a "certain crack in mutual
trust" between the Czech Republic and the EC, however. He was
referring to the recent EC ban of meat imports from Central and
East European countries. Klaus added that the integration of
the Czech Republic with the EC will probably not be possible
"without certain changes in the EC." -Jan Obrman

.-. .-AND ARRIVES IN BRATISLAVA. In the Slovak capital, van den
Broek held talks with President Michal Kovac and Foreign Minister
Jozef Moravcik. Slovak media quoted him as saying after the talks
that the integration of the Czech Republic and Slovakia with
the EC will also depend on the quality of relations between the
two successor states to Czechoslovakia. Kovac told journalists
that Slovakia's association treaty with the EC could be completed
by September. Van den Broek also held a meeting with representatives
of the Hungarian ethnic minority in Slovakia. Van den Broek travels
to Budapest on 4 May to meet with Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenszky
and other Hungarian leaders. -Jan Obrman

MECIAR IN VIENNA. Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar held
talks with Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky and several other
officials on 3 May, TASR reports. At a joint press conference
after the meeting, Meciar and Vranitzky said that safety at nuclear
power plants in Slovakia was among the topics discussed. Meciar
said that the Soviet-designed reactor at Mochovce meets Western
safety levels and that the EBRD is considering providing an estimated
$1.2 billion for the plant's completion. The Slovak Prime Minister
added that once Mochovce is ready, the other Slovak nuclear power
plant at Jaslovske Bohunice can be closed. Austria has repeatedly
requested the closure of all nuclear power plants in both Slovakia
and the Czech Republic. -Jan Obrman

KLAUS REJECTS NEED FOR A CZECH-SLOVAK SUMMIT. In an interview
with Czech TV on 3 May, Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus rejected
the need for a Czech-Slovak summit on the distribution of former
federal property for the time being. He said that he agrees with
Vladimir Meciar on the continuation of talks on the expert level;
until these talks produce some results there is no need for a
top-level meeting. He indicated that such meetings are for the
most part symbolic and tend to distract from the issues. Klaus'
statements amounted to indirect criticism of President Vaclav
Havel, who, at the suggestion of Meciar and Slovak President
Michal Kovac, announced the summit for next week. Meciar said
that the distribution of assets is too complicated to be dealt
with by the prime ministers alone. -Jan Obrman

SLOVENE PRIME MINISTER IN PRAGUE. On 3 May Janez Drnovsek arrived
in Prague for a two-day official visit, Czech Radio reports.
Following talks with President Havel and Prime Minister Klaus,
Drnovsek told journalists that in terms of reform the Czech Republic
and Slovenia will most likely be the two most successful among
the Central and East European states. Drnovsek and Klaus are
scheduled to sign a number of bilateral treaties on 4 May, including
one on the liberalization of trade. The treaty will be succeeded
by an agreement on the creation of a free-trade zone between
the Czech Republic and Slovenia at a later point. -Jan Obrman


QUEEN ELIZABETH IN HUNGARY. Hungarian media report that Queen
Elizabeth II is paying her first visit to Hungary on 4-7 May
at the invitation of President Arpad Goncz. She is accompanied
by Prince Philip, Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd, and other officials.
On 5 May the Queen will address parliament. The remainder of
her program is cultural and philanthropic in nature, including
visits to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, museums, libraries,
and the Kodaly High School in Kecskemet. -Judith Pataki

HUNGARIAN ROAD PROTESTS TREATY WITH UKRAINE. Istvan Csurka's
Hungarian Road movement has issued a statement protesting against
Article 2 of the Hungarian-Ukrainian state treaty signed in 1991
and due to be ratified by the Hungarian parliament soon, MTI
reports. In that article, both countries renounce any territorial
claims against each other, a clause the Hungarian Road finds
"incomprehensible" and "regrettable" because it dashes what that
movement sees as the hopes of Hungarians abroad for any future
"peaceful settlement"-i.e. border revision. This view contradicts
not only the foreign policy goals expressed by Prime Minister
Jozsef Antall during his April 30 meeting with Ukrainian President
Leonid Kravchuk in Uzhhorod, but also the wishes of Transcarpathia's
Magyar minority: their leader, Sandor Fodo, has specifically
asked Hungary's parliament to ratify the treaty as soon as possible
because good Hungarian-Ukrainian relations are of paramount importance
to that minority. -Alfred Reisch

UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT POSTPONES START-1. Parliament has postponed
formal consideration of START-1 until the week of 4 June, AFP
reported on 3-May. The postponement was reportedly prompted by
a desire to wait and see whether a new constitution is adopted
in Russia, since the nature of the new constitution could affect
Ukrainian security. Hearings by a special parliamentary group
concerning the treaty may, however continue in the meantime.
ITAR-TASS on 3 May reported that future Ukrainian-Russian negotiations
over nuclear weapons will be conducted at the level of deputy
prime minister or higher. This may leave Yurii Kostenko, the
former head of the Ukrainian team, out of the negotiating sessions.
Kostenko recently prompted a Russian protest with an assertion
that Ukraine is at present a nuclear state, a position disclaimed
by the Ukrainian government. -John Lepingwell

POLAND MARKS CONSTITUTION DAY, "BUY POLISH" CAMPAIGN OPENS. At
ceremonies marking the anniversary of the adoption of the 3 May
1791 Constitution-the first written constitution in Europe, President
Lech Walesa said that Poland now needs the same "wise and far-sighted
compromise" and "civic maturity" demonstrated by the constitution's
framers. Walesa said that the 3 May Constitution is proof that
the nation is capable of renewal when it is master of its own
fate. During ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in
Warsaw, Walesa awarded the nation's highest honor, the Order
of the White Eagle, to Pope John Paul-II. In separate ceremonies,
Walesa and Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka looked on as 15 superior
Polish products, including a no-stick saucepan, an airplane,
a vacuum cleaner, and a brand of pickles, were awarded a "Now
Poland" seal as part of a campaign to promote competitive domestic
wares. The holiday was marred by an ugly incident in Cracow,
where several hundred right-wing demonstrators shouted "traitors,"
"agents," and "Poland for Poles" at a government minister. Police
were called in to disperse an aggressive crowd, PAP reports.
-Louisa Vinton

BEROV: CABINET RESHUFFLE IMMINENT. In an interview with Standart
on 3 May, Bulgarian Prime Minister Lyuben Berov stated that his
cabinet will be restructured as soon as the 1993 budget has been
adopted by parliament. Berov indicated that there would be at
least three new ministers. He said the cabinet needs a regular
minister of transportation-a job currently performed by Deputy
Premier Neycho Neev-and a division of the unwieldy ministry of
culture, education, and science. Berov also said he will select
a "neutral" minister of foreign affairs, a position he until
now has held himself. -Kjell Engelbrekt

BULGARIA CANCELS PLANS TO DEMOLISH RED ARMY MONUMENT. The government
has ordered the municipal authorities to cancel all plans on
dismantling the 40-meter Red Army monument in the center of Sofia,
BTA reported on 3 May. Challenging the city authorities, which
are dominated by the Union of Democratic Forces, the government
argues that the monument is state property. Spokesman Raycho
Raykov also told reporters that the cabinet has requested the
Foreign Ministry to begin consultations with Russia on how to
solve the issue, in accordance with Article 14 of the Russian-Bulgarian
friendship treaty signed last year. A declaration by the Russian
Supreme Soviet calling for the problem to be settled "in a civilized
manner" had on 29 April led to turmoil and scuffles in the Bulgarian
National Assembly. -Kjell Engelbrekt

ROMANIAN OPPOSITION CALLS FOR ACTION TO PREVENT STRIKE. On 3
May the main opposition parties in parliament called on President
Ion Iliescu and the government to be more flexible in talks with
trade unions. In a declaration broadcast by Radio Bucharest on
the same day, the joint declaration says that if a national strike
is declared on 5 May by the unions, the signatories will hold
the government and the parties that back it in parliament, responsible
for the likely serious economic impact. President Iliescu rejected
the declaration, accusing the opposition parties of attempting
to make political capital out of the situation. A new round of
talks between premier Nicolae Vacaroiu and the unions on 4 May
did not close the gap on the main issues. Meanwhile, subway employees
in Bucharest continue their strike, which paralyzes subway traffic
from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. -Michael Shafir

"DNIESTER" SECURITY MINISTER OUTLINES POLICY .-.-. Interviewed
in Literaturnaya gazeta no.-15 the State Security Minister of
the "Dniester republic", who goes by the name Vadim Shevtsov,
said the area had recreated a Soviet state structure anticipating
the building of communism in a restored USSR. He added that "to
stabilize the situation in the country it is necessary to knock
a certain number of people out of circulation-.-.-. Currently
in the Dniester Republic we must operate with the methods of
1945-1947 when any act counter to the existing order was treated
as a crime against the state." "Yeltsin's goal is the destruction
of the [Russian] state," he continued, and "the dismemberment
of the USSR was the program of the CIA, accomplished by Gorbachev
and Yakovlev, [who] did it for the money." The remarks confirm
the Dniester leaders' view of their role in preserving the Soviet
political system in the area under their control and securing
a territorial base for imperial restoration. -Vladimir Socor


.-.-.-AND BOASTS OF KGB, MVD CONNECTIONS. In the same interview
Shevtsov confirmed that his real name is Col. Vladimir Antyufeev,
former senior officer of the OMON unit in Riga. He identified
his deputy security minister as Mikhail Lysenko-now known in
Tiraspol as Major Kudryavyi-the former commander of workers'
paramilitary detachments in Tallinn, and that two other deputy
ministers of security are "patriots who arrived from Russia.
The first deputy minister of internal affairs, Goncharenko, is
another senior ex-OMON officer in Riga. Shevtsov noted that the
"Dniester republic" Supreme Soviet unanimously passed motions
"On defending the honor and dignity" of these officials, all
of whom are among the KGB and OMON officers wanted for trial
in Latvia and Estonia for their crimes. Finally, Shevtsov disclosed
that in the wake of the defeated communist putsch the ex-Moldovan
KGB managed to remove its archive to Tiraspol, suggesting that
the "Dniester republic" has from the outset been viewed as a
sanctuary by KGB and MVD officials on the run. Vladimir Socor


BILDT URGES BALTICS TO TAKE FULL CONTROL OF THEIR BORDERS. Swedish
Prime Minister Carl Bildt told Swedish TV that the Baltic States
should seek complete control of their borders and acquire the
facilities to monitor them. Since it is not possible for the
Baltics to maintain an adequate defense system against an offensive
military force, Bildt stressed that the security of the Baltic
States must be ensured by political means. Bildt also noted that
Sweden has decided to present Estonia with two more unarmed patrol
boats, BNS reported on 3 May. Swedish diplomats are holding a
two-day meeting in Riga to discuss issues related to regional
security and political and economic development. -Dzintra Bungs


EUROPEAN DEFENSE OFFICIALS MEET IN RIGA. Defense ministers from
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Moldova, as well as
representatives from Belarus, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic,
and Slovakia met in Riga on 3 May to discuss common problems
of defense and security and to develop regular contacts. Another
issue that was discussed was the presence of Russian troops in
the various participating countries. No communique was adopted,
Baltic media report. -Dzintra Bungs

WILL LITHUANIAN AMBASSADOR TO US BE REPLACED? ALTHOUGH NO FORMAL
ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN MADE, IT SEEMS PROBABLE THAT PRESIDENT
ALGIRDAS BRAZAUSKAS WILL RECALL STASYS LOZORAITIS AS LITHUANIA'S
AMBASSADOR TO WASHINGTON, RADIO LITHUANIA REPORTED ON 3 MAY.
Brazauskas said that there were no political aspects in recalling
his former presidential opponent; rather he cited Lozoraitis's
failure to maintain proper contact with authorities at home.
Opposition leader Vytautas Landsbergis told a press conference
that the recall would be a great loss to Lithuania. Foreign Minister
Povilas Gylys indicated that Lozoraitis would be most likely
replaced by Vytautas Cekanavicius the Lithuanian honorary consul
in Los Angeles. Cekanavicius, however, holds US, not Lithuanian
citizenship. -Saulius Girnius

LITHUANIA BARS FODDER SHIPMENT FROM ITALY. On 30 April Lithuania
followed the example of Estonia and Latvia by barring a ship
from Italy carrying 5,400 tons of fodder, worth about $2 million,
from unloading because of the fear of hoof-and-mouth disease
infection, Radio Lithuania reported on 3 May. Of the 53,000 tons
of fodder that Italy has pledged to donate, 15,000 arrived in
Lithuania earlier this year. Italian Ambassador Franco Tempesta
has appealed to the animal disease center in Paris for confirmation
of the outbreak of the disease in Italy. -Saulius Girnius

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Ustina Markus and Charles Trumbull





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