No. 128, 08 July 1993

RUSSIA



NO MENTION OF KURILS IN G-7 DECLARATION. The political declaration
issued on 8 July by leaders at the G-7 Summit did not mention
Russia's dispute with Japan over the future of the Kuril Islands,
Reuters and AFP reported. Japanese government spokesmen in Tokyo
explained the concession by arguing that the G7 political declaration
made in Munich last year, which did address the issue, was still
valid. During preparatory meetings for this year's summit, Japanese
leaders reportedly pushed for another reference to the dispute,
but they were opposed by other G-7 member states. The G-7 nations
had first called upon Russia to resolve the issue at their summit
in Houston in 1990; Russia has argued that the dispute should
be negotiated on a bilateral basis. Boris Yeltsin, who arrived
in Tokyo on 8 July, nevertheless expressed his readiness to discuss
"all issues" with Japanese leaders, including the Kurils, Kyodo
reported. Yeltsin expressed regret for having twice canceled
visits to Japan, but said he took the actions because of Tokyo's
insistence that Moscow turn over the disputed territory. Stephen
Foye, RFE/RL, Inc.

US OFFER OF NUCLEAR SAFETY AID? EUROPEAN OFFICIALS AT THE G-7
SUMMIT ARE QUOTED BY REUTERS OF 8 JULY TO THE EFFECT THAT US
PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON HAS OFFERED THE SUM OF $100 MILLION TO
IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF NUCLEAR REACTORS IN THE FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS
AND EASTERN EUROPE. It will be recalled that the European Community
offered some $600 million for the same purpose at the G-7 summit
in Munich in July 1992. Owing to reported internal EC squabbles
and to Russian reluctance to provide accident insurance, the
aid effort started only in June 1993. Keith Bush, RFE/RL, Inc.


YELTSIN STRENGTHENS ANTI-CRIME COMMISSION. President Boris Yeltsin
has set up a powerful new body in the presidential executive
structures--the Interdepartmental Commission of the Security
Council for the Struggle against Crime and Corruption. While
the commission was first formed in January 1993 under the leadership
of Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi (who was subsequently relieved
of its leadership) the final regulations of the body were just
published in Rossiiskie vesti on 6 July. The commission appears
to have been upgraded and made more powerful, suggesting that
Yeltsin is to give higher priority to fighting crime. The work
of the commission will be guided by the president and the secretary
of the security council and it will consist of four permanent
members: the prime minister, the secretary of the security council,
the procurator-general and the first deputy chairman of the parliament.
Other key officials will be granted ordinary membership. The
commission is supposed to meet on a monthly basis. Alexander
Rahr, RFE/RL, Inc.

YELTSIN INVITES REGIONAL POLITICIANS TO WORK IN CENTER. President
Boris Yeltsin has issued a decree asking the Russian government
and the president's administration to recruit more representatives
of the regions into the federal executive structures, Rossiiskaya
gazeta reported on 7 July. Yeltsin's step is a result of the
growing influence of the regions and their politicians in Russian
politics. The decree also stipulated that housing should be provided
in of Moscow for politicians and specialists from the regions
invited to work there. Alexander Rahr, RFE/RL, Inc.

FEDOROV ON EXCHANGE AND INTEREST RATES. In an interview published
in Nezavisimaya gazeta on 7 July, a day when the ruble strengthened
further to 1,055 to the dollar, Deputy Prime Minister Boris Fedorov
opined that the current ruble-dollar exchange rate could be maintained
until September, and possibly until the end of the year. Fedorov
stated that it was not the government's job to bring the exchange
rate down to 600 rubles to the dollar, but to maintain it at
its present level for a long time. In order to make the ruble
fully convertible, he maintained, it was necessary to move to
positive interest rates. As long as people receive negative interest
rates, they will exchange their rubles for dollars, property,
and goods. Keith Bush, RFE/RL, Inc.

MORE FORGERIES OF BANKNOTES AND VOUCHERS. At a news conference
on 6 July, reported by Reuters, an official of the Department
of Economic Crime of the Ministry of the Interior reported a
large increase in the seizure of forged banknotes and vouchers.
During the first five months of this year, more than half a million
dollars and 20 million rubles in forged banknotes, plus forged
privatization vouchers worth 19 million rubles, have been seized.
Most of the forgeries had been produced on copying machines,
and the official proposed measures to regulate the use and the
importation of photo-copiers. In a move that is possibly related,
an RFE/RL correspondent quoted the Russian Central Bank's press
service on 6 July to the effect that the Bank has started to
withdraw from circulation Soviet-era banknotes printed between
1961 and 1991. Keith Bush, RFE/RL, Inc.

LABOR UNREST. A warning strike has been held by the miners of
a large wolfram-molybdenum combine in Buryatiya, ITAR-TASS reported
on 7 July.The miners are demanding wage rises, the right to tax
privileges and state subsidies. The strikers are also demanding
of the local authorities that prices for food products and industrial
goods be regulated, that residential housing be guaranteed uninterrupted
supplies of hot water, and that more effort be made to combat
crime. In the meantime the Russian Federation of Independent
Trade Unions has decided to picket the government building in
Moscow over the critical situation in the timber industry. It
claims that there is a danger of production stoppages and mass
unemployment at timber processing enterprises. Russian radio
reported on 6 July that strife is also imminent in the higher
education sector: the union of university rectors has decided
to hold a meeting for higher education employees on 1 September,
when it will push for collective action and possibly a strike
in the second half of September. Sheila Marnie, RFE/RL, Inc.


SAKHA INTENDS TO INTRODUCE STATE OF EMERGENCY. The leadership
of Sakha (Yakutia) intends to introduce a state of emergency
if the republic does not receive within the next two to three
weeks credits to lay in the necessary raw materials, industrial
goods, and food supplies before the rivers, the main supply routes,
freeze in September. Sakha Vice-President Vyacheslav Shtyrov
told ITAR-TASS on 7 July that the situation was "extremely critical;"
only 12-36 percent of the necessary supplies had been brought
into the republic so far. Without a credit of 238 billion rubles
in the third quarter, the government will have to mobilize all
local financial resources, including those of commercial banks
and enterprises, and sell diamonds on the internal market, Shtyrov
said, adding, however, that Sakha would fulfil its obligations
to deliver raw diamonds to De Beers. Ann Sheehy, RFE/RL, Inc.


MINISTRY OF JUSTICE OBJECTS TO STATE STATUS FOR RELIGIONS IN
KALMYKIA. The Russian Ministry of Justice said on 6 July that
granting state status to individual confessions was only likely
to aggravate interconfessional and interethnic relations, ITAR-TASS
reported. The ministry was commenting on the granting of state
status to Buddhism and Christianity in Kalmykia with effect from
6 July, announced by the Kalmyk president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
in Ulan-Ude on 2 July. An official of the Ministry of Justice
said Russia was a secular state that treated all religions and
religious organizations as equal before the law. Ann Sheehy,
RFE/RL, Inc.

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER WARNS OF BREAK WITH RUSSIA. On 7 July,
Georgian Prime Minister Tengiz Sigua told journalists in Tbilisi
that Georgia would recall its ambassador from Moscow if Russia
did not stop supplying the Abkhaz separatists with arms, equipment,
and ammunition, ITAR-TASS reported. Sigua called the current
trilateral peace talks in Moscow a "deliberate procrastination".
Meanwile, Andrei Dzhergenia, the chief Abkhaz negotiator at the
talks, was quoted by ITAR-TASS on 7 July as stating that Abkhazia
would soon sign an agreement worked out by all sides, which stipulates
a ceasefire and withdrawal from Abkhaz territory of both Georgian
troops and volunteers from the North Caucasus. Catherine Dale,
RFE/RL, Inc.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION CALLS ON PRESIDENT TO RESIGN. Only 15,000
people, rather than the anticipated 500,000, participated in
a demonstration in Erevan on 7 July organized by the radical
Association for National Self-Determination to demand the resignation
of President Levon Ter-Petrossyan and the dissolution of parliament,
AFP reported. In an open letter to Ter-Petrossyan, ANSD leader
Paruir Hairikyan accused him of falsifying elections and imposing
media censorship, according to ITAR-TASS. Liz Fuller, RFE/RL,
Inc.

GAS DISPUTE SOURS UZBEKISTAN-KAZAKHSTAN RELATIONS. Heads of town
and raion administrations in Kazakhstan's Shymkent Oblast met
in the oblast center to discuss how to deal with the crippling
natural gas shortage resulting from Uzbekistan's steep reduction
in the amount of natural gas shipped to Shymkent, ITAR-TASS reported
on 7 July. According to Uzbek authorities, Shymkent Oblast owes
Uzbekistan eight billion rubles; the reduction in the gas supply,
which occurred in mid-June, was supposed to force payment, but
Shymkent, suffering from declines in both industry and agriculture,
has little hope of meeting Uzbekistan's demands. Sources in Almaty
report that the gas dispute is turning popular opinion in Kazakhstan
against Uzbekistan. Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.

NATO DELEGATION ENDS VISIT TO CENTRAL ASIA. A delegation of NATO
experts traveling under the aegis of the North Atlantic Cooperation
Council, headed by Turkey's ambassador to NATO, Tugay Ozceri,
has wrapped up a visit to all Central Asian republics except
Tajikistan, ITAR-TASS and Russian media sources reported on 6
July. At a news conference in Almaty, the delegation's last stop,
Ozceri stated that the purpose of the visit had been to gather
information about the Central Asian states and to inform their
leaders about new concepts within NATO. He was also reported
to have invited Kazakhstan to open a mission in Brussels, an
offer to which it has not yet responded. According to the reports,
NATO is interested in Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev's
attempts to set up an Asian collective security system along
the lines of the CSCE. It is unclear what role Russia and China
would play in such an organization; China has not responded to
Nazarbaev's proposal. Keith Martin, RFE/RL, Inc.

ECO MEETING IN ISTANBUL. The Economic Cooperation Organization
(ECO) is currently meeting in Istanbul; the group's members are
the five Central Asian states, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan
and Pakistan. According to a 7 July Reuters report, the leaders
of these countries have agreed to establish a bank to foster
trade and investment, a regional airline, a shipping company
and a reinsurance firm. Turkey's President Suleyman Demirel also
stated that the ECO members would cooperate on questions of the
environment, transportation, and drug enforcement. The ECO issued
a statement condemning Armenian "aggression" and calling on Armenian
forces to withdraw from Azeri territory. Keith Martin, RFE/RL,
Inc.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



CROATIAN POLICE RAID RIGHT-WING PARTY HQ. Vjesnik of 8 July reports
that 200 police from special units converged the previous afternoon
on Starcevic House, the office of the Croatian Party of [Historic]
Rights (HSP). The Croatian authorities maintain that the party
does not have a proper deed to the property, but the HSP says
that the "scandalous move" is part of a campaign by the ruling
Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) to hound the HSP out of existance.
The authorities provided no briefings for journalists, and the
police took and smashed the camera of Vecernji list's photographer
as he tried to take pictures of HSP paramilitaries being shoved
into police vans. Previously the government had banned the paramilitary
organization and incorporated its units into the Croatian army.
It had also put HSP leader Dobroslav Paraga and some of his deputies
on trial for "terrorism," meaning allegedly plotting a coup against
President Franjo Tudjman. The HDZ-controlled media have played
up reports of factionalism in the HSP. The HSP took only seven
percent of the vote in the 1992 parliamentary elections, but
it is the sole threat to the HDZ from the Right and has proven
electoral appeal in districts near the front lines. Patrick Moore,
RFE/RL, Inc.

CROATIA TO REOPEN STRATEGIC BRIDGE ON 18 JULY. President Tudjman
announced on 7 July that the temporary pontoon structure at Maslenica
will be ready for traffic in eleven days, as will be the Zadar
airport. Securing this area was the object of the army's Operation
Maslenica in late January, and the bridge is considered vital
for the economic well-being of Dalmatia and its tourist trade.
Dalmatia has felt neglected by the Zagreb government, and tourism,
once Croatia's prime earner of hard currency, has sharply declined.
Serbian artillery positions, however, still threaten the bridge
and much of the Dalmatian coast, according to a Vjesnik report
on 8 July. That paper also reported the continuing political
uproar over Tudjman's 5 July statement on possible exchanges
of territory between Croatia and the Bosnian Serbs. The leading
opposition Croatian Social Liberal Party's spokesmen told a press
conference on 7 July that such a move would be a "strategic and
tactical mistake" and could hit Croatia "like a boomerang." Opposition
leaders and mainstream politicians from within the HDZ have repeatedly
warned Tudjman that he cannot insist on maintaining Croatia's
own territorial integrity against the rebel Serbs if he joins
in the partition of neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is
also an internationally recognized state. Patrick Moore, RFE/RL,
Inc.

SERBIAN OPPOSITION THREAT ACTION. Radios Serbia and B92 reported
on 7 July that deputies of the Democratic Movement of Serbia
(DEPOS) decided to suspend their participation in the federal
and republican assemblies until the leader of the Serbian Renewal
Movement (SPO) Vuk Draskovic is released from prison. Other democratic
opposition parties in Serbia and Montenegro were called upon
to join the boycott. DEPOS, a coalition that includes the SPO,
also stated that it would stage massive protests throughout Serbia
until Draskovic and his wife are freed. SPO Vice President Slobodan
Rakitic said that protest meetings will be held "regardless of
whether the authorities allow them or not." He also said that
DEPOS officials, Draskovic's wife, the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch
Pavle, and former federal President Dobrica Cosic have been pleading
with Draskovic to end his hunger strike. Doctors treating Draskovic
said his condition was rapidly deteriorating. In a related matter,
a statement by Russian President Boris Yeltsin's press secretary
said Russia is "adding its voice to growing demands to release
Draskovic, at least pending trial." Milan Andrejevich , RFE/RL,
Inc.

BELGRADE DAILY'S UNCERTAIN FUTURE. Borba, the only independent
daily in rump Yugoslavia, faces nationalization, according to
the latest issue of Belgrade's independent weekly Vreme. Borba'
is a joint-stock company and no single investor owns the majority
of shares. Vreme explained that the daily's problems arose from
a power struggle over the post of director several months ago.
Also, the editorial and managerial boards are at odds over the
financial state of the daily, thus risking a government takeover.
A recent memorandum by Acting Director Dusan Mijic forbids Borba's
employees from talking to the media under pain of dismissal.
Borba's Washington correspondent Slobodan Pavlovic wrote in the
Washington Post on 5 July that the paper failed to obtain permission
from the Treasury Department to publish a US edition aimed at
the more than half million Serbian Americans. Pavlovic stressed
that Borba's objective information and commentaries would pose
a formidable challenge to the regular six hour satellite program
of Belgrade TV in the US.Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL, Inc.

LATVIAN PRESIDENT ELECTED. On 7 July, in the third ballot, the
Saeima elected Guntis Ulmanis of the Farmers' Union as Latvia's
president. In the first ballot the previous day Ulmanis had received
only 12 votes, finishing last among three candidates. Latvia's
Way, the largest bloc in the parliament,whose candidate, Gunars
Meierovics, had received 35 votes in the first round, apparently
withdrew its candidate to the advantage of Ulmanis in order to
strengten its coalition with the Farmers' Union. In the second
round Ulmanis received 46 votes, five short of the majority required.
In the third round, however, some members of the Latvian Christian
Democratic Party, which has strongly opposed the coalition, decided
to support Ulmanis, the RFE/RL Latvian Service reports. Ulmanis,
as the only candidate, was elected president by a vote of 53
to 26. Ulmanis, born on 13 September 1939, is an unknown figure.
A great nephew of the last president of independent Latvia, Karlis
Ulmanis, he spent the years 1941 to 1946 in exile in Siberia.
From 1965 to 1989 he was a member of the Communist Party. In
1992 he became a member of the board of the Bank of Latvia. Saulius
Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.

BELARUSIAN REFERENDUM POSTPONED. Parliamentary speaker Stanislau
Shushkevich agreed at a parliamentary session on 7 July to postpone
until the fall the referendum he had requested on Belarus adhering
to the CIS collective security pact, ITAR-TASS reported. Shushkevich
said a referendum on the new constitution would probably have
to be held then in any case. Forty-five opposition deputies issued
a statement on 7 July condemning the unsuccessful attempt by
the parliamentary majority on 1 July to remove Shushkevich from
the post of speaker. Stating that the majority would renew its
efforts to get rid of Shushkevich, the statement suggested that
the referendum should also include a question on early elections.
Shushkevich survived the vote against him on 1 July because there
was not a quorum. Ann Sheehy , RFE/RL, Inc.

RENEWED CALLS FOR EARLY ELECTIONS IN BULGARIA. On 7 July parliamentary
representatives of the opposition coalition, Union of Democratic
Forces, formally filed a request for early elections with the
Chairman of the National Assembly. According to an RFE/RL correspondent
in Sofia, parliament is expected to debate the motion next week.
If it passes, elections will be slated for a date prior to 14
November 1993. The current parliament, elected in October 1991,
is not yet at the half way point of its four-year term. Stan
Markotich., RFE/RL, Inc.

SLOVAK PARLIAMENT APPROVES LAW ON NAMES. On 7 July the Slovak
parliament passed a law allowing minorities to register their
names in their mother tongues, TASR reported. Of the 105 deputies
who participated in the secret ballot, 77 were in favor, 13 were
against and 15 abstained. The law follows the Council of Europe's
recommendation that Slovakia extend its minority rights legislation.
Sharon Fisher, RFE/RL, Inc.

LAW ON MINORITIES. The Hungarian Parliament passed on 7 July
a bill on the rights of national and ethnic minorities, designed
to provide cultural and political protection for the country's
over 1 million minorities, MTI reports. The bill was passed by
a vote of 304 to 3, with 8 absentions, after nearly two years
of emotional debates which aimed at creating a law that could
serve as an example for neighboring countries where ethnic Hungarians
live. Under the law, national and ethnic minorities are defined
as any group with at least 100 years of residence in Hungary
and with its own language and culture. The law stipulates that
the choice of identity is voluntary and guarantees the use of
names and education in the mother tongue. It declares that minorities
have a right to set up their own cultural and heritage organizations
including "local and national self-governments," ensuring their
cultural autonomy. The law stipulates that a "national and ethnic
minority fund" be set up within a year to assist the minority
self-governments. Edith Oltay, RFE/RL, Inc.

HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET AND VAT. On
7 July, the Hungarian parliament approved by a vote of 179 to
131, and 5 abstentions a supplementary budget for 1993, MTI reports.
The budget provides for a deficit of some 213 billion forint
or 29 billion forint higher than originally projected. In a seperate
vote, the parliament agreed by a vote of 172 to 137, and 8 abstentions,
to raise the VAT on a wide range of goods from 6% to 10% and
25%, effective August 1. The supplement to the budget was needed
to meet the requirements of the IMF for further credits, and
the raising of the VAT served to provide part of the funds for
the supplement. The vote represents a major victory for the government
and for the largest governing party, the Hungarian Democratic
Forum, which has recently lost deputies through defections and
expulsions, raising questions about whether the government can
muster a parliamentary majority. Both the opposition and the
HDF's coalition partners criticized the raising of the VAT as
putting excessive burdens on the population. The Christian Democratic
People's Party, a member of the coalition, succeeded in getting
the VAT draft amended to exempt medicine from the tax through
1994. Edith Oltay , RFE/RL, Inc.

BELARUS PREPARES TO INTRODUCE OWN CURRENCY. The Belarussian parliament
has authorized the government and the Central Bank to introduce
a separate currency if no agreement is reached on monetary policy
with Russia, Reuters reported on 7 July. However, according to
the Central Bank chairman, Stanislav Bogdankevich, any new currency
would still be linked to the ruble in some way. Russia has recently
reduced supplies of rubles to Belarus, which already uses it
own parallel currency for accounting purposes and for 80% of
cash transactions. Russia has been putting increasing pressure
on Belarus to either coordinate monetary policy with Moscow or
to leave the ruble zone; Western financial institutions have
been advising Belarus to do the latter. The Belarus parliamant
has also approved a scheme to distribute privatization cheques.
Sheila Marnie, RFE/RL, Inc.

KRAVCHUK CRITICIZES ECONOMICS MINISTRY FOR ENERGY PRICE HIKES.
Reuters reported on 7 July that the Ukrainian economics ministry
had sent a telegram to local authorities advising that the price
of gas, fuel oil and electricity would increase by 2.5-3 times.
President Leonid Kravchuk protested the ministry's actions, claiming
that the decision had not been collective and instructing Prime
Minister Leonid Kuchma to "punish guilty parties" in the government.
However, Deputy Economics Minister Viktor Kalnik defended the
decision, saying that the ministry wnister Viktor Kalnik defended
the decision, saying that the ministry was authorised to raise
energy rates in response to a Russian increase in oil and gas
export prices, which have more than doubled. According to Kalnik,
the decision was taken "to ensure our energy industry was not
totally stopped". He added that the full cabinet of ministers
would examine the increases later this week and that it was unclear
whether they would be imposed. Susan Stewart Leonid Kravchuk
has evinced his support for Ukraine declaring itself the owner
of the nuclear weapons on its territory, according to Reuters
reports of 7 July. He also noted, however, that Ukraine should
maintain its commitment to eliminating all its nuclear weapons.
Reuters also indicated that Kravchuk may be abandoning his previous
intention to push for a vote on the START-1 treaty before the
September referencum. On 8 July Reuters reported that Ukrainian
Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma had publicly called for Ukraine
to declare itself temporarily a nuclear-weapons state. While
the claim to ownership is not so new and is rather ambiguous,
the suggestion that Ukraine declare itself a nuclear-weapons
state implies that it might also take over full operational control
of the nuclear weapons. John Lepingwell, RFE/RL, Inc.

UKRAINIAN-RUSSIAN TREATY. Ukraine and Russia have begun to prepare
a full scale treaty on friendship and cooperation, an RFE/RL
correspondent reported on 7 July. Delegations from both sides
met in Kiev on 6 July to discuss details of the accord, which
has been under discussion for more than a year. Russia's chief
negotiator Yurii Dubinin said that the treaty will include all
aspects of Ukrainian-Russian relations that have emerged in the
post-Soviet period. The need to sign a full scale pact was affirmed
once again at the recent Ukrainian-Russian summit. Roman Solchanyk,
RFE/RL, Inc.

POLISH-RUSSIAN MILITARY AGREEMENT SIGNED. Polish Defense Minister
Janusz Onyszkiewicz and his Russian counterpart Gen. Pavel Grachev
signed an agreement on military cooperation in Moscow on 7 July,
PAP reports. The agreement provides for technical cooperation
and the exchange of specialists and information. Poland has already
signed analogous agreements with its other eastern neighbors.
Onyszkiewicz assured Grachev that, regardless of changes on the
Polish political scene, any future Polish government will strive
for good relations with Russia. Grachev endorsed the idea of
a Baltic region security arrangement but ruled out meetings with
all Baltic defense ministers because of "problems in relations
with Latvia and Estonia." He also stressed Russia's satisfaction
with the course of the troop withdrawal from Poland. On 6 July,
Pravda had accused Polish officials of "fascist" brutality in
their treatment of departing Russian troops. According to Pravda,
Polish customs inspectors subjected "Russian officers--the sons
and grandsons of the liberators of Poland" to "demeaning procedures"
reminiscent of the Nazi era, merely to unearth a few bottles
of smuggled vodka. Customs inspections of departing troops have
only been possible since January 1993. Louisa Vinton, RFE/RL,
Inc.

UKRAINIAN-LITHUANIAN AGREEMENTS SIGNED. On 7 July delegations
headed by Ukrainian and Lithuanian prime ministers Leonid Kuchma
and Adolfas Slezevicius met in Vilnius and signed an agreement
on land and air transport, allowing Ukraine to use the port of
Klaipeda, and Lithuania to ship goods to Central Asia, Radio
Lithuania reports. Other agreements on postal relations, legal
cooperastion, and establishing embassies in the capitals were
also signed, but differences on the more important free trade
treaty were not resolved. It is, nonetheless, expected to be
signed in Kiev later this month. Kuchma also held talks with
President Algirdas Brazauskas before returning to Kiev in the
evening. Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.

MOLDOVAN-UKRAINIAN TIES ADVANCE. A large Moldovan delegation,
headed by Parliament Chairman Petru Lucinschi and including Moldova's
Ministers of Internal Affairs and National Security, visited
Ukraine's Odessa Oblast on 5 and 6 July. A large part of this
oblast belonged successively to Moldova, Bessarabia, and Romania
until World War II. The sides--"and particularly the Moldovan
side," ITAR-TASS reported--reaffirmed respect for existing borders.
According to Basapress, they discussed bilateral cooperation
by border guards (especially important for Moldova considering
Ukraine's role in stopping infiltration of Russian armed groups
into Transdniester), customs, and railroads officials; identified
potential joint ventures; and examined the possible use by Moldova
of Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa and the (formerly Moldovan)
Danube port Ismail, which the Moldovan delegation visited. It
was also announced that the sides had recently agreed on student
exchanges involving ethnic Moldovans from Odessa Oblast and ethnic
Ukrainians from Moldova; the Moldovan delegation met with local
ethnic Moldovan students and teachers. Lucinschi urged more active
Ukrainian participation in a political settlement of the Dniester
conflict. Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL, Inc.

BUCHAREST ON ROMANIAN-HUNGARIAN TIES. Mircea Gioana, a spokesman
for the Romanian Foreign Ministry, told journalists on 7 July
that Romania was interested in improving ties with neighboring
Hungary. The spokesman criticized, however, a recent statement
by the Hungarian Foreign Ministry for allegedly trying to put
the blame for difficulties in mutual relations on the Romanian
side. Gioana said that the delay in signing a bilateral treaty
was mainly caused by Hungary's refusal to accept a clause on
the two countries renouncing any territorial claims on each other.
He also expressed dismay over Budapest's insistence on its right
to have a privileged relation to Hungarian minorities in other
countries, without specifying that those minority groups should
remain loyal to the state in which they live. Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL,
Inc.

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Anna Swidlicka and John Lepingwell

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