No. 92, 14 May 1993

RUSSIA



DEPUTIES INTEND TO APPEAL TO COURT OVER CONSTITUTION. A group
of Russian deputies have decided to appeal to the Constitutional
Court over steps taken by President Yeltsin to adopt a new constitution
by-passing the Congress of People's Deputies, Russian television
reported on 13 May. A hard-line deputy, Vladimir Isakov said
the existence of two parallel constitutional procedures, one
initiated by the president and another by the parliament, threatens
the unity of the Russian state. The court's chairman, Valerii
Zorkin, has already made several statements criticizing Yeltsin's
proposal to convene a Constituent Assembly to adopt a new constitution.
On 13 May, Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev suggested that Yeltsin
should put his draft constitution to a national referendum. -Vera
Tolz

RUTSKOI TO FORM OPPOSITION; STRIPPED OF LAST POWERS. Vice President
Aleksandr Rutskoi said in Moscow on 13 May that he was helping
to form a "civilized opposition" to contest future legislative
elections around the Civic Union bloc. According to Mayak Radio,
Rutskoi said that on 20 May there would be a meeting of centrist
forces which would broaden the base of the Civic Union. Also
on 13 May, an article by Rutskoi in Rossiiskaya gazeta called
for cooperation between the President and the Congress in adopting
a new constitution, and for simultaneous early elections to the
legislature and the presidency. Rutskoi sharply criticized the
new draft constitution which Yeltsin is attempting to have adopted,
likening it to "dictatorships and monarchies" because of the
powers it gives to the presidency. Meanwhile, ITAR-TASS reported
on 13 May that Rutskoi has been stripped of his last official
duty-that of receiving the credentials of foreign ambassadors.
Yeltsin had already deprived Rutskoi of his responsibilities
for agriculture and security. -Wendy Slater

YURII AFANASEV RELINQUISHES DEPUTY'S MANDATE. Yurii Afanasev,
a prominent member of Russia's pro-democracy movement, has said
he intends to give up his mandate as a people's deputy, Izvestiya
reported on 13 May. Afanasev, a leader of Democratic Russia until
leaving the movement in January 1992, said that he refused to
participate in a body (the parliament) which was giving "a semblance
of legality" to the actions of the opposition. He cited specifically
parliament's reaction to the results of the referendum and the
1 May violence, and called on like-minded deputies also to give
up their seats. Afanasev's actions follow calls by the Reform
Coalition parliamentary bloc for deputies to resign their seats
[see RFE/RL Daily Report for 6 May]. -Wendy Slater

GOVERNMENT DEBATES ECONOMIC POLICY. The Presidium of the Council
of Ministers debated a restructuring program for the Russian
economy on 13 May, various Russian and Western news agencies
reported. The program under consideration is the most recent
version of an industrial policy which emerged first last fall
under then Ministry of Economics Andrei Nechaev. In addition
to selecting priority industries for state support, the program
includes measures for energy conservation and resolving Russian
foreign debt and trade problems. It was decided that further
work on the program was necessary as, among other problems, its
proposals seemed too ambitious for existing budgetary constraints.
-Erik Whitlock

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE ON PRIVATIZATION TO BE PUBLISHED. The government
is publishing a new presidential decree entitled "Concerning
state guarantees of the right of citizens of Russia to participate
in privatization," ITAR-TASS reported on 13 May. The document
requires, inter alia, that 29% of the shares of all state-enterprises
transformed into joint-stock companies be made available for
voucher purchase at privatization auctions. Each Russian citizen
received vouchers over the course of late 1992 and early 1993.
-Erik Whitlock

KHASBULATOV RECEIVES MUFTI. On 13 May the chairman of the Russian
parliament Ruslan Khasbulatov received Talgat Tadzhetdin, Mufti
of the European part of the CIS countries, the Baltic States,
and Siberia, ITAR-TASS reported. After assuring Khasbulatov that
the Muslim Religious Board, which he heads, does not support
nationalist slogans, the mufti went on the complain that more
than 500 mosques in Russia have no imams. This opened the field,
he said, to the activity of foreign Muslim centers who "take
into their hands religious propaganda since they are able to
pay for radio and television broadcasts." According to ITAR-TASS,
Khasbulatov recognized the need to allocate the main confessions
free air time on radio and television, and also agreed that funds
should be allocated for the restoration of mosques. -Ann Sheehy


MEETING OF ELDERS OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS PLANNED FOR JULY. Ramazan
Abdulatipov, chairman of the Russian parliament's Council of
Nationalities, told the chamber on 13 May that the Council of
Nationalities was proposing to organize a meeting of the elders
of the North Caucasus in July, ITAR-TASS reported. The elders
still play an important role in North Caucasian society, and
such a meeting had been mooted a year or more ago. Abdulatipov,
who was reporting to the chamber on his recent visit to the North
Caucasus as part of a delegation headed by Prime Minister Viktor
Chernomyrdin, said the visit was more productive than earlier
ones because the prime minister was prepared not only to argue
but also take concrete decisions. At the same time he said that
many agreements between North Ossetia and Ingushetia were not
being implemented. Instead, they were making new accusations
against each other. -Ann Sheehy

JEWISH AUTONOMOUS OBLAST TO REJOIN KHABAROVSK KRAI? FORMER DEPUTIES
OF THE KHABAROVSK KRAI SOVIET FROM THE JEWISH AUTONOMOUS OBLAST
HAVE ASKED THE KRAI SOVIET TO PUT THE QUESTION OF THE OBLAST
REJOINING THE KRAI ON THEIR AGENDA, MOSKOVSKIE NOVOSTI NO. 20
of 1993 reports. However, while it was sufficient for the oblast
soviet to vote to leave the krai, it will require a referendum
for it to rejoin it, and no mechanism for this has yet been drawn
up, the weekly comments. -Ann Sheehy

COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES



DECLARATION ON ECONOMIC UNION TO BE SIGNED AT CIS SUMMIT? IT
IS EXPECTED THAT A DECLARATION ON THE CREATION OF AN ECONOMIC
UNION WILL BE SIGNED AT A MEETING OF CIS HEADS OF STATE DUE TO
CONVENE IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OF 14 MAY, ITAR-TASS REPORTED ON
13 MAY. ITAR-TASS's commentator Ivan Ivanov claims that "very
informed sources" think that all the heads of state will sign
the declaration. Hitherto it has been considered that only Russia,
Kazakhstan, and Belarus were ready to enter an economic union.
Ivanov states that at present it is difficult to say what will
be in the declaration, which could well be amended at the summit
itself, but Russian economic reform is likely to form the basis
of the joint strategy of the Commonwealth countries in the economic
union. Russian experts believe that the first step towards the
creation of an economic union should be a customs union. -Ann
Sheehy

RUSSIA OPPOSES JOINT CIS FORCES. At a meeting of the Defense
Ministers of the CIS states on 13 May, Russia opposed two draft
agreements presented by the CIS command that would have increased
integration and formed joint CIS forces. While nine of the CIS
states sent delegations to the meeting, Ukraine did not. According
to reports from Radio Moscow and ITAR-TASS, Russia specifically
objected to plans for the creation of standing CIS forces during
peacetime. Col.-Gen. Boris Gromov, the Russian representative,
noted that Russia would bear the brunt of the costs of such a
force, and that units from some other CIS countries were not
allowed to be deployed outside their territory. The plan was
reportedly supported by the other five signatories of the CIS
Collective Security Treaty. Gromov stressed that the CIS states
should build their individual armed forces first, and implement
bilateral cooperative measures rather than joint CIS measures.
This position suggests that the Russian military has finally
given up any pretense of strengthening CIS command structures,
and leaves Marshal Shaposhnikov as the lone voice calling for
further integration of the CIS armed forces. -John Lepingwell


RUSSIA OPPOSES CIS CONTROL OF NUCLEAR FORCES. The other aspect
of the draft agreements opposed by Russia was the provision that
the CIS Command would retain control over CIS nuclear forces.
Russia claims that under the terms of the May 1992 Lisbon protocol
it became the sole inheritor of the USSR's nuclear weapons and
control thereof. Both Kazakhstan and Ukraine insist that the
original Minsk agreement establishing CIS control over nuclear
weapons retains its validity, although Ukraine claims ownership
of the materials in the warheads. Belarus has accepted Russia's
assertion of ownership and control over the nuclear forces on
its territory. -John Lepingwell

CIS MINISTERS OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS MEET IN EREVAN. On May 12 the
Ministers of Internal Affairs from Russia, Armenia, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Ukraine, and the non-CIS republics of Latvia and Estonia met
for two days in Erevan, ITAR-TASS reported. The meeting focused
on the problems of organized crime and other illicit activities
on the territory of the former USSR. In an interview the Russian
Minister of Internal Affairs Col.-Gen. Viktor Erin said that
the problem of illegal arms is serious in all of the former Soviet
republics, especially in those where armed conflicts are taking
place. He stated that, "These weapons are beginning to seep throughout
the former Soviet territories regardless of whether they are
in the CIS or not, and are a serious contributing factor towards
crime. Sooner or later the weapons fall into the hands of criminal
elements and are actively used in perpetrating criminal acts.
For that reason crime has been rising from year to year." Erin
went on to say that one of the most important tasks facing the
interior ministers was to insure that these weapons did not cross
the borders of their respective republics. -Ustina Markus

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



KYRGYZSTAN GETS IMF SPECIAL LOAN. Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister
Tursunbek Chyngyshev, on his way to a meeting of CIS heads of
government, told an ITAR-TASS correspondent on 13 May that his
country's decision to introduce its own currency would not alienate
it from the rest of the Commonwealth, and the end of the ruble
zone, should the other CIS states choose to follow Kyrgyzstan's
example, would help Russia to stabilize its own currency. The
same day an RFE/RL correspondent in Washington DC reported that
the IMF is granting Kyrgyzstan a package of loans under a new
system designed to help countries transform their economies from
central planning to market-oriented. Kyrgyzstan's $62-million
package is the first of its type to be approved. The IMF had
pressured Kyrgyzstan to introduce its own currency, which it
did on 10 May. -Bess Brown

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



SERBIAN LEADERS MEET IN BELGRADE. A meeting of Serbian leaders
in Belgrade on 14-May will try to persuade Bosnian Serbs to accept
the Vance-Owen plan. The Bosnians have decided to vote on the
plan in a referendum on 15-16 May. All major parties, including
top Bosnian Serb officials and a delegation from their assembly,
plan to attend the All-Serb parliamentary session, although some
opposition parties from Serbia and Montenegro say they will not.
Independent radio B92 speculates that Vojislav Seselj, head of
the Serbian Radical Party, will soon demand the resignation of
the federal and Serbian governments and the army chief of staff
and demand new elections. Seselj supports the Bosnian Serb assembly
in its rejection of the peace plan; he reiterated his threat
of launching SS-22 missiles against Western European cities if
there is outside intervention against Bosnian Serbs. -Milan Andrejevich


BOSNIAN SERB REFUGEES TO BE DEPORTED? ON 12 MAY RADIO BOSNIA
CLAIMED THAT THE BELGRADE GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED ON THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF PUNITIVE MEASURES IF THE SCHEDULED BOSNIAN SERB REFERENDUM
REJECTS THE VANCE-OWEN PEACE PLAN. Citing unnamed sources close
to Milosevic, Belgrade will deport Bosnian Serb refugees back
to Bosnia-Herzegovina. On 13 May a Bosnian Serb official alleged
that Belgrade plans to repatriate the refugees "regardless of
circumstances or political climate." The Serbian government earlier
announced that Bosnian refugees would be resettled in Bosnia
once peace is achieved and denied allegations of plans to force
refugees out of Serbia. There are more than 250,000 Bosnia Serb
refugees in Serbia. Earlier, on May 12, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan
Karadzic told reporters that Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic
"has never interfered in our [Bosnian Serb] affairs nor has he
ever asked to decide on our behalf." He added that Western reports
are wrong in stating that Milosevic has "unlimited influence
on our decisions." According to Radio Serbia, Karadzic said he
understands the concerns of the federal, Serbian, and Montenegrin
presidents for the fate of their citizens, but that "the leadership
of the Serb republic has a duty toward its own people." -Milan
Andrejevich

EC THREATENS CROATIA WITH SANCTIONS. The BBC on 14 May reports
that the Community is considering measures against Zagreb unless
the Herzegovinian Croats cease their attacks on local Muslims
in the Mostar area. President Franjo Tudjman has often had tense
relations with the head of the self-declared "Croatian Community
of Herceg-Bosna," Mate Boban, but the Boston Globe writes from
Zagreb that Croatia has great leverage because it supplies food
and fuel to the breakaway region. Zagreb's policy toward Bosnia-Herzegovina
has always been ambiguous and opportunistic. One the one hand
is the temptation to acquire large Croat-inhabited territories
contiguous to Croatia; on the other is the knowledge that the
Muslims are long-term allies against the Serbs and that Croatia
cannot insist on maintaining its own territorial integrity if
it helps itself to others' land. Meanwhile in Herzegovina, Reuters
reports on 13 May that Croat soldiers blew up a mosque in Ljubuski
and then detained a Western TV crew trying to film the ruins.
The same day UN refugee officials visited a Croatian camp where
Muslims are held near Mostar and likened what they saw to "pictures
of Jews during the Second World War." -Patrick Moore

HUNGARY SEEKS NATO GUARANTEES. Hungary has asked NATO for antiaircraft
missiles as well as security guarantees to defend itself against
possible reprisals from Serbia for its role in helping NATO in
the Yugoslav crisis, Reuters reports. Hungary suggested that
unless guarantees were forthcoming, it might have to call a halt
to NATO surveillance flights over Hungary that help direct warplanes
enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia. Hungary has also agreed
to allow ships of the WEU to supervise the Hungarian section
of the Danube. Hungary is worried about the threat of Serbian
reprisal attacks and possible actions against ethnic Hungarians
in Vojvodina. -Edith Oltay

ROMANIA REJECTS UKRAINIAN ACCUSATIONS. Romania denied it is using
the UN resolutions against rump Yugoslavia to delay Ukrainian
shipping on the Danube. A Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters
that the authorities are applying the embargo uniformly to all
ships on the river. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transport
said the 70 Ukrainian barges at issue lack the UN Security Council
approval to pass through the Serbian stretch of the Danube. On
12 May Ukrainian foreign minister Anatolii Zlenko accused Romania
of detaining 160 Ukrainian barges in Galati without justification
and threatened to retaliate. -Michael Shafir

ILIESCU TOURS EX-YUGOSLAV AREA. On 14 May Romanian President
Ion Iliescu begins a trip to Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, a
spokesman said on 13 May. Iliescu flies to Slovenia on 14 May
for talks with President Milan Kucan and while in Ljubljana he
will also meet the president of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic.
On the 17th he flies to Zagreb for talks with President Franjo
Tudjman. He plans a stop-over in Belgrade on 19 May, to meet
the president of rump Yugoslavia, Dobrica Cosic, and Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic. -Michael Shafir

MACEDONIAN UPDATE. White House spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers indicated
on 13 May that the US is not actively considering placing troops
in Macedonia or Kosovo as a means of containing the Bosnian War,
according to Reuters. Nova Makedonija reports that no consultations
with any country or organization about American troop deployments
have been requested or discussed with Macedonian officials. A
World Bank delegation visiting Macedonia held meetings with prime
minister Branko Crvenkovski, who stressed Macedonia's eagerness
to work with that institution, MILS reports that he emphasized
that Macedonia has suffered disastrous losses because of its
subscription to the UN trade embargo imposed upon Serbia-Montenegro.
The 12-May Neue ZŸrcher Zeitung reports that on 10 May bank notes
for the Macedonian national currency, the denar, were introduced
to replace coupons. As if Macedonia has not had enough political
problems over its name and flag, there now appears to be a controversy
about the notes as well. The 11 May Vjesnik says that rep-resentatives
of the republic's mainly Muslim Albanian minority have objected
to the appearance of Eastern Orthodox churches on the bills,
which the Albanians regard as enshrining the primacy of the mainly
Eastern Orthodox ethnic Macedonians within the new state. -Duncan
Perry and Patrick Moore

SEJM DEBATES PACT, STRIKES. The Sejm voted 244-to 77 on 14 May
to send the government's proposed "pact on state firms" to a
special commission for speedy review, PAP reports. The pact,
proposed by the government in September and signed by the unions
in February, had a generally favorable reception. The package
of six bills offers state workers better social guarantees and
a bigger say in the transformation of their firms, in return
for their support of rapid restructuring and privatization. Some
deputies argued that swifter action on the pact might have prevented
the current strike wave, while the parliament's liberals said
the pact gives too much power to the unions. The government is
to present a report to the Sejm on the strike situation on 14
May. Solidarity suspended its strike in the Walbrzych region
on 13 May, after restructuring talks in Warsaw ended in agreement.
Meanwhile, there were signs that the general strike by teachers
and health care workers is losing steam. Strike funds are running
low; Polish law forbids paying employees for strike days. -Louisa
Vinton

SUCHOCKA IN STRASBOURG. Polish Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka
delivered an address on 13 May to the Council of Europe, where
she served as the parliamentary assembly's deputy chairman before
leaving to head the government. Emphasizing that Poland is a
country of "stability and peace," Suchocka argued that the integration
of the Visegrad group into the European Community "will not destabilize
our continent, but rather promote its successful development."
On her return to Warsaw, Suchocka stressed that the government's
work is unaffected by the strikes and jested that Polish politics
goes into crisis mode every two weeks, whenever the parliament
prepares to meet. -Louisa Vinton

WALESA VISITS PORTUGAL. During a two-day state visit to Portugal,
Polish President Lech Walesa lobbied hard for the ratification
of Poland's association agreement with the EC. President Mario
Soares assured his Polish counterpart that Portugal's ratification
is guaranteed, Polish officials reported. In a speech to the
Portuguese parliament on 12 May, Walesa urged the wealthy EC
countries to ease trade barriers with the emerging democracies
of Eastern Europe, and called protectionism "short-sighted."
"Europe has closed itself to us," Walesa charged, adding that
"the integration of Europe will not be successful if we do not
all have the same standard of living." Before leaving Lisbon
on 13-May, Walesa paid a private visit the shrine of Fatima and
met with the Portuguese prime minister, PAP reports. -Louisa
Vinton

NEW MAYOR OF PRAGUE. Jan Koukal, a member of the Civic Democratic
Party of Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, was elected mayor of Prague
on 13 May. Koukal replaces Milan Kondr, also a member of CDP,
who was recalled by the city's municipal deputies in April along
with his two closest associates; city officials criticized Kondr's
management of city affairs. On 13-May municipal deputies also
elected a new 13-member city council, which consists of the mayor,
his 5 deputies, and 7 other members. The Civic Democratic Alliance,
the coalition partner of Klaus's party in the Czech government,
issued a statement strongly critical of the CDP for allegedly
blocking the election of CDA's members to the council. As a result,
no CDA member was elected to the council. CDA says it renounces
its responsibility for the city's affairs. -Jiri Pehe

TUMULT AT UDF RALLY. An antigovernment demonstration organized
by the Union of Democratic Forces on 13 May led to clashes with
the Sofia police. In an effort to stop UDF supporters from entering
the security area of parliament, several policemen used force
and struck group leader Stefan Savov. The government, which had
warned on the previous day that it would take a tough stance
if riots broke out, said the police had acted in the line of
duty. Western agencies estimate that some 20,000 UDF sympathizers
turned out for the rally, which had been advertised several weeks
in advance. -Kjell Engelbrekt

ROMANIA DENIES MOLDOVA INVOLVEMENT. The press office of the Romanian
Information Service again accused unidentified "groups and people
interested in the systematic deterioration of inter-Romanian
relations [i.e. between Romania and Moldova]" of spreading false
rumors about alleged Romanian collaboration with the "extremists
of the Popular Front of Moldova" in preparations for a coup in
Chisinau, as well as "diversionary actions in Ukraine." Rompres
reported on 13 May that these rumors were just a reiteration
of the lies spread by "the same publications" several months
ago. The Service was reacting to fresh allegations of Romanian
subversive activities against Moldova and Ukraine published in
Russian-langauge media. -Michael Shafir

RUSSIAN ARMY IN MOLDOVA BUILDS HOUSING. The Russian government
newspaper Rossiiskie vesti of 6 May quotes Lt. Gen. Aleksandr
Lebed, commander of Russia's 14th Army in Moldova, as saying
that his "servicemen are engaged in building housing for officers"
among other tasks. Lebed made the same remark to Komsomolskaya
pravda of 27 April. This revelation by Lebed undermines the Russian
government's and military's claim that Russian troops cannot
withdraw from Moldova (and other independent states) because
they lack funds to build housing in Russia. Moldova has repeatedly
offered to finance housing construction in Russia for 14th Army
personnel if the Army withdraws from Moldova, but the Russian
side has ignored the offers. The 14th Army's housing construction
program in Moldova adds to other recent indications-such as the
establishment of the Army's own TV station and newspaper and
the drafting of residents of Moldova into this Russian army-that
the army is preparing for a long stay. -Vladimir Socor

BLACK SEA FLEET OFFICERS START PAY STRIKE. Some officers are
reportedly refusing to accept their May salary in protest against
disparities in pay levels, according to ITAR-TASS and Western
press accounts on 13 May. Details of the action remain sketchy,
but some officers receive pay in rubles, others in karbovantsy.
President Yeltsin doubled Russian officers' pay in April but
this rise hasn't been matched on the Ukrainian side. Furthermore,
the karbovanets has been falling against the ruble, placing officers
on the Ukrainian payroll in a disadvantageous position. ITAR-TASS
also claims that officers retiring from the fleet are being asked
by the Ukrainian Finance Ministry to pay back the difference
between their Russian salaries and those paid by the Ukrainian
side. The number of officers on strike is unknown, but they are
apparently demanding a more rapid resolution of the fleet's problems.
In a related story, Adm. Igor Kasatonov, the outspoken former
commander of the fleet, told Rossiya that Ukraine is directing
an espionage campaign against the fleet in an attempt to undermine
it and assert Ukrainian control. -John Lepingwell

RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR ON RELATIONS WITH UKRAINE. Russia's ambassador
to Ukraine, Leonid Smolyakov, told journalists in Kiev that it
is not Russia's official policy to view Ukraine as "temporarily
lost territory," Ukrainian TV reports on 13 May. The ambassador
also criticized Ostankino TV's reporting on Ukraine, saying that
it conflicts with Russia's official stand, and urged Ukrainian
media to "tell the truth." -Roman Solchanyk

ESTONIA ADMITTED TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE. On 13 May the parliamentary
assembly of the Council of Europe (CE) voted nearly unanimously
(2 nays and 1-abstention) to approve Estonia's membership, a
RFE/RL correspondent in Strasbourg reports. Although investigations
by the UN and CSCE had found no evidence of intentional discrimination
against the Russian-speaking minority, Russian Foreign Minister
Andrei Kozyrev sent an angry letter repeating these charges and
calling Estonia's membership "premature." Regarded as "interference"
from Russia, itself a nonmember state, the letter may actually
have reduced the number of negative votes. On 14 May the CE increased
its ranks to 29 by formally inducting Estonia along with Lithuania
and Slovenia as members. Latvia's membership in the council appears
to depend on electing a democratic parliament, scheduled for
5-6 June, and on adopting an equitable law on citizenship and
naturalization. -Saulius Girnius

ESTONIA, RUSSIA AGREE ON TRADE, BUT NOT ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL.
During the eleventh round of talks at Lohusalu, Estonian and
Russian representatives initialed an agreement on granting their
respective countries most-favored-nation trade status. This agreement
supersedes a 1992 free-trade accord that failed to take effect.
No agreement was reached on setting a timetable for the complete
withdrawal of Russian troops from Estonia. The Russian side is
still talking in terms of 1999, while the Estonians want a speedier
pullout. The participants also discussed border, humanitarian,
and cultural issues. The next round of talks is planned for 7-8
June in Moscow, BNS reported on 13 May. -Dzintra Bungs

LATVIAN-RUSSIAN TALKS ON AGAIN. Baltic media reported on 12 May
that the next round of talks on the withdrawal of Russian troops
from Latvia and related issues are to take place on 17-20 May
in Jurmala. Head of the Russian delegation Sergei Zotov said
that several accords may be signed. The previous meeting was
cancelled by the Russian side on account of discussions in the
Latvian Supreme Council of a resolution concerning residence
permits for the Russian military in Latvia; the cancellation
came before the resolution was adopted on 28-April. Riga saw
this as an effort by Moscow to persuade the Latvian legislators
to adopt a milder resolution and the move elicited protests from
the Latvian Foreign Ministry. -Dzintra Bungs

ANOTHER FINANCIAL SCANDAL IN LATVIA. On 13-May Radio Riga reported
on the Supreme Council committee investigating the removal of
billions of Russian rubles out of Latvia by railroad cars last
year. Bank of Latvia President Einars Repse and the head of the
customs department, Imants Geidans, have been implicated, and
the committee reportedly plans to call for a vote of no confidence
in these two as well as others involved in the affair. -Dzintra
Bungs

[As of 1200 CET] Compiled by Ustina Markus and Charles Trumbull



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