No. 132, 14 July 1993

RUSSIA



POLITICIANS COMMENT ON NEW DRAFT CONSTITUTION. Executive secretary
of the parliament's Constitutional Commission Oleg Rumyantsev
told Ekho Moskvy radio on 13 July that he was sure that the Congress
of People's Deputies would not approve a draft constitution prepared
by the Constitutional Assembly. Rumyantsev argued that the draft
that was given to the assembly's delegates on 12 July gave the
president excessive powers at the expense of the parliament.
In contrast, a leader of the Democratic Russia parliamentary
faction, Aleksei Surkov, praised the assembly's draft, saying
that it limited the powers of the president compared to the draft
constitution that Yeltsin unveiled in April. Surkov told Russian
Television that, for instance, the new draft did not give the
president constitutional review powers that were given to him
in the presidential draft constitution. Vera Tolz

SHAKHRAI ON POWER STRUGGLE. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Shakhrai
has accused the parliamentary leadership of pushing local leaders
toward a policy that will result in Russia's disintegration in
order to preserve the power of the old nomenklatura. In an interview
with Segodnya on 13 July he said that such a scenario had been
developed by the former Politburo in 1989/90 to fight Russia's
sovereignty. He claimed he had studied secret CPSU archive materials
on that issue. Shakhrai also asserted that Sverdlovsk oblast's
declaration that it is now the "Ural Republic" had been initiated
by President Boris Yeltsin's opponents. Alexander Rahr

DEMOCRATIC PARTY SEEKS NEW PARTNERS; APPROVES SEVASTOPOL VOTE.
Nikolai Travkin, the leader of the Democratic Party of Russia
(DPR) which until recently was a member of the Civic Union, told
journalists on 13 July that the party's political council had
authorized him to sound out possible partners for a new coalition.
According to ITAR-TASS, Travkin claimed to have initiated the
DPR's exit from the Civic Union because, since the seventh congress
in December 1992, the bloc had moved away from a centrist position.
The most likely future partner for the DPR, Travkin said, was
the Center for International and Interregional Economic Questions,
headed by the former secretary of the Security Council Yurii
Skokov. The DPR also officially registered its approval of the
recent parliamentary vote declaring Sevastopol a Russian city,
because this represented "the defense of state interests." Wendy
Slater

CENTRAL BANK INTERVENES TO SUPPORT THE DOLLAR. Izvestiya on 14
July noted that the Russian Central Bank (RCB) has been intervening
heavily to prevent any "wholesale fall" in the dollar rate on
the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange. As an example, it cited
trading on 12 July, when the RCB bought something like $30-40
million. The purpose of such intervention is to avoid sharp surges
in the ruble rate which could adversely affect Russian exporters.
The article discloses that the RCB will shortly allow nonresidents
access to the domestic foreign exchange market: this could appreciably
increase the inflow of foreign exchange. The slight strengthening
of the ruble may be attributable to optimistic pronouncements
by Russian and Western spokespersons prior to the G-7 summit,
to the (slightly) reduced monthly inflation rate, and to the
realization that a rate of over 1,000 rubles to the dollar is
way out of line with purchasing power parities (PPPs). Under
the terms of the joint government-RCB statement on monetary-credit
policy, published in Rossiiskie vesti of 1 June, the RCB undertook
not to intervene in the currencies market with the aim of artificially
supporting the ruble exchange rate: the agreement did not mention
supporting the dollar exchange rate. Keith Bush

RUSSIA TO BACK OUT OF INDIAN ROCKET DEAL? REUTERS REPORTED ON
13 JULY THAT MOSCOW IS CONSIDERING PULLING OUT OF ITS $350 MILLION
ROCKET DEAL WITH INDIA. The deal, which calls for Moscow to supply
cryogenic rocket engines and related technology to India, has
met stiff opposition in Washington. The problem was discussed
by the US and Russian presidents in Tokyo following the G-7 summit
and, according to Reuters, Yeltsin offered to cancel the sale
so long as Washington offered adequate compensation, including
a share in the lucrative business of launching US commercial
satellites. The head of Glavkosmos, the Russian commercial space
agency, is in Washington and is expected to begin talks with
US officials on 14 July in hopes of reaching agreement. Indian
officials have warned that cancellation of the sale could harm
Russian-Indian cooperation in other areas. Stephen Foye

FOREIGN AID FROM RUSSIA? IN MATERIALS SUPPLIED TO PARLIAMENT,
FINANCE MINISTER BORIS FEDOROV CLAIMED THAT RUSSIA IN 1992 TRANSFERRED
$17 BILLION TO OTHER FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS, ITAR-TASS REPORTED
ON 13 JULY. This figure is juxtaposed with the GDP to suggest
that Russian foreign aid is proportionally much higher than,
say, US or Japanese aid disbursements that year. Fedorov's estimate,
which has also been given by other government spokesmen, refers,
however, to the difference between world prices and the prices
charged within the CIS plus the value of technical credits extended
by Russia to its CIS trading partners. It should therefore not
be categorized as foreign aid. Keith Bush

"GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT" ON COAL PRICES PROPOSED. The cabinet
on 13 July agreed to a proposal aimed at limiting increases in
coal prices after their deregulation on 1 July, ITAR-TASS reported.
First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Soskovets, who was presiding,
announced that some coal mining regions wanted to push up their
prices by a factor of 8-10. Metal industries have complained
that this would drive the price of their product up to 20-30%
above world prices. Deputy Prime Minister Anatolii Chubais therefore
proposed that the coal miners and metal industries reach a "gentlemen's
cartel agreement" whereby coal prices be kept to a reasonable
level. Keith Bush

MINIMUM WAGE/PENSION TO BE RAISED? THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT PLANS
TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO 7,000 RUBLES A MONTH EFFECTIVE FROM
1 JULY, ACCORDING TO EKHO MOSKVY ON 13 JULY. The minimum pension
will likewise be raised to 14,200 rubles a month. (The average
wage at the beginning of April was 23,599 rubles a month.) Sheila
Marnie

NEW COMMANDER FOR NORTH CAUCASUS MILITARY DISTRICT. Krasnaya
zvezda reported on 13 July that Colonel General Aleksei Nikolaevich
Mityukhin has been named the new commander of the forces of the
North Caucasus Military District. The order was signed by Boris
Yeltsin on 29 June. Mityukhin was born in 1945 in Tula oblast
and his most recent posting was as First Deputy Commander of
the Western Group of Forces. (Mityukhin appeared on Russian Television
on 24 April to defend the leadership of the Western Group of
Forces against corruption charges leveled by Vice President Aleksandr
Rutskoi.) Mityukhin succeeds Colonel General Lev Shustko. Mityukhin's
post is a key one for Russian military leaders have made clear
that changing geo-strategic realities have compelled them both
to restructure the old military district system and to focus
their attention on the defense of Russia's southern borders.
The North Caucasus Military District, which is one of the linchpins
in this southern strategy, will apparently also be one of the
first military districts to be restructured. Stephen Foye

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



GEORGIA ISSUES ULTIMATUM TO ABKHAZIA. The Georgian Defense Ministry
issued an ultimatum to Abkhaz separatists on 13 July, demanding
that Abkhaz troops cease shelling Sukhumi and withdraw from two
strategic villages north of the Georgian-held city by midnight
on 14 July. Defense Minister Georgii Karkarashvili stated that
if Abkhazia does not comply, Georgia will launch a full-scale
offensive which will extend to Gudauta, the separatist stronghold,
Reuters reported. Catherine Dale

NO PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING CSCE KARABAKH PEACE PLAN. Four
days of talks in Baku, Erevan and Stepanakert, between government
officials and CSCE Karabakh mediator Mario Raffaelli have produced
no concrete results, a spokesman for the Nagorno-Karabakh Department
of Information and the Press told ITAR-TASS on 13 July. Raffaelli,
whose itinerary was twice altered because of imminent fighting
in the area, refused to comment on his meeting with Karabakh
officials. According to Radio Rossii, Karabakh officials have
requested a one-month postponement of implementation of the latest
timetable for the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Kelbadzhar
(scheduled to begin 15 July) because of the political instability
in Azerbaijan. After visiting the besieged town of Agdam on 12
July, Raffaelli had warned of "terrible consequences" if no settlement
is reached on implementing the proposed peace settlement. Liz
Fuller

REBEL ATTACK IN TAJIKISTAN. In the bloodiest cross-border raid
since the Tajik civil war ended, about 200 Tajik rebels and their
Afghan supporters have captured a Russian border post in Tajikistan
and destroyed a nearby village of 700, Russian and Western news
agencies reported on 13 July. The attack was preceded by heavy
mortar attacks; unconfirmed reports speak of 20 to 25 "families"
and at least 20 Russian border guards being killed. Russian and
Tajik government forces were reportedly counterattacking. Tajikistan's
foreign minister repeated his country's view that the Afghan
government was aiding the rebels, and that Tajikistan would take
"appropriate measures." Afghanistan's foreign minister, also
on 13 July, told Radio Free Afghanistan that his government is
not interfering in Tajikistan's internal affairs and is conducting
a dialogue with the Tajik government. Keith Martin

CIS

SHOKHIN: CENTRAL ASIA, AZERBAIJAN MUST CHOOSE. Russian Deputy
Prime Minister, Aleksandr Shokhin, told reporters on 13 July
that those former Soviet republics which have joined the Economic
Cooperation Organization (ECO), must choose whether to stay in
that organization or join the newly-formed economic union between
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, Reuters and ITAR-TASS reported.
These states--the Central Asian republics and Azerbaijan--recently
took part in an ECO conference in Istanbul, where they agreed
to further measures aimed at economic integration. Shokhin cited
the ECO meeting as an impetus for the recent agreement between
Belarus, Ukraine and Russia to form a common economic space.
Part of that agreement stipulates that countries cannot be members
of another economic group (such as the ECO) if that would impede
economic integration. The pan-Slavic agreement is seen in Central
Asia as an effort to push them out of the ruble zone and as a
possible first step toward the dissolution of the CIS. Erik Whitlock
and Keith Martin

BAIKONUR STAFF APPEALS TO MOSCOW AND ALMATY. A group of military
construction workers at the Baikonur space launch center have
appealed to the presidents and chairmen of the legislatures of
Russia and Kazakhstan to decide the future of the center and
of the town of Leninsk which services it, Radio Mayak reported
on 12 July. The appeal asks that CIS states, particularly Russia,
Ukraine and Belarus agree to provide the type of assistance to
long-time workers at Baikonur that Kazakhstan has introduced
for victims of the environmental catastrophe in the Aral Sea
region. Deterioration of living conditions for Baikonur workers
in Leninsk were a factor contributing to riots at the beginning
of June. Bess Brown

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



ISLAMIC STATES OFFER TROOPS FOR BOSNIA. UN mediator Thorvald
Stoltenberg warned on 13 July of possible UN personnel withdrawals
from Bosnia-Herzegovina. He said that it has been difficult to
obtain reinforcements for humanitarian operations through the
coming winter, and that he would recommend withdrawal if aid
is not forthcoming. UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali,
moreover, confirmed that there is a "real risk" that the UN will
withdraw if the conditions continue to deteriorate. Meanwhile,
six Islamic countries (Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan,
Turkey, Tunisia) and the PLO offered to contribute more than
17,000 troops to the UN peacekeeping mission. Boutros-Ghali had
asked for "a light option" of 7,600 troops to defend security
zones for Bosnian civilians. A final resolution, adopted by the
Organization of Islamic Conference at a two-day meeting in Islamabad,
said that the soldiers would not take part in "any plan to partition
the country or to create refugee ghettos in Bosnia Herzegovina."
Western commentaries noted, however, that the offer might not
be accepted, since the Serbs and perhaps others are unlikely
to consider some of these states neutral. Fabian Schmidt

CROAT-MUSLIM RELATIONS CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE. Reuters reported
on 13 July that Muslims launched an offensive against Croats
in Herzegovina, and Hina said that a similar attack was underway
in central Bosnia. The BBC's Serbian Service on 14 July quoted
UN sources as saying that the Croats meanwhile have stepped up
their ethnic cleansing campaign against Muslims in Mostar, adding
that the males were being held in especially bad conditions.
Meanwhile in Rovinj in northwest Croatia, Vjesnik reports on
14 July that Muslim refugees have recently forced their way into
500 vacant apartments in an apparently well-organized procedure.
This follows similar developments elsewhere in Croatia. The outbreak
of Croat-Muslim fighting this spring, together with long-standing
Croat fears about large numbers of Muslims ultimately remaining
in Croatia and changing the demographic balance, have led to
much speculation that Zagreb might change its hitherto generous
policy toward Muslim refugees. At his 5 July press conference,
President Franjo Tudjman indicated that the Muslims' welcome
is indeed wearing thin. Patrick Moore

CROATIAN UPDATE. Tudjman's press conference, however, is best
remembered for the Croatian president's remarks to the effect
that his government is considering a land swap with the Bosnian
Serbs. Tudjman has subsequently been criticized not only across
the political spectrum and in Dalmatia, but within his own party
as well. Vecernji list reported on 13 July that parliament speaker
Stipe Mesic has added his voice to those opposed to such a deal,
saying that Croatia must preserve Bosnia's territorial integrity
if it expects others to honor Croatia's borders, and that "the
Serbs as aggressors must capitulate" and are not acceptable negotiating
partners. Meanwhile, plans are going ahead to open a pontoon
bridge at Maslenica to reopen Dalmatian coastal traffic. Vjesnik
on 14 July quotes the engineers as saying that work is moving
along on schedule, and another article in the same paper reports
that Croatia has formally announced its intentions to the UN.
Finally, Vecernji list notes that polemics are continuing unabated
between Croatia and Slovenia, making it highly unlikely that
a proposed friendship treaty will see the light of day at any
time soon. Patrick Moore

MORE US TROOPS ARRIVE IN MACEDONIA. Western agencies report on
12 July that a force of 200 US soldiers has arrived in the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This is in addition to another
group of 100 US soldiers that arrived last week. The total UN
force in Macedonia is now approximately 1000. The mandate of
the force continues to be the monitoring of Macedonia's potentially
volatile border with Serbia and Albania. UN authorities are especially
concerned that the post-Yugoslav conflict might spill over into
the Serbian province of Kosovo, which would widen the conflict
considerably. Robert Austin

WALESA PROMOTES BBWR IN NATIONAL ADDRESS. In an address broadcast
by public radio and television on 13 July, President Lech Walesa
urged Poles to cast ballots in the September elections and explained
the reasoning behind his Nonparty Bloc to Support Reform (BBWR).
Walesa warned that "stagnation" and a repeat of the old parliamentary
impasse are real threats. "We cannot afford a parliament that
quickly exhausts its possibilities [and] is unable to form a
stable government," Walesa said. Existing political parties have
only shallow roots. Poland needs practical politicians with specific
proposals for solving problems. The president denied that the
BBWR is an extension of his own political ambitions; the BBWR
"is not my party, but rather my concept," he said. The BBWR was
formed to "protect reform" from mounting public dissatisfaction.
The reform process itself is not responsible for discontent,
Walesa said, but rather errors and delays in its implementation.
The president said he is not opposed to parties per se but wants
to goad them to action and to think in practical terms. BBWR
is "a bucket of cold water on the politicians' feverish heads,"
designed to mobilize people "unconvinced by slogans and bored
with ideological spats and endless talk." Party leaders across
the spectrum immediately criticized Walesa for abusing his position
to campaign for the BBWR. Louisa Vinton

POLISH RIGHT-WING PARTIES FORM "CATHOLIC COALITION." The inability
of Poland's fractious right-wing parties to unite in advance
of the September elections appears to have prompted the Church
hierarchy to take action. A nine-hour meeting hosted by Archbishop
Tadeusz Goclowski in Gdansk on 13 July yielded a "Catholic election
coalition" to be called "Fatherland." The coalition will include
both the more traditionalist Christian-National Union and the
more centrist parties belonging to the Polish Convention headed
by Aleksander Hall. Representatives of former Prime Minister
Jan Olszewski's anticommunist Coalition for the Republic attended
the meeting, but there were conflicting reports as to whether
they had agreed to join the new coalition. Gazeta Wyborcza reports
that the two coalitions would collaborate in the Senate elections
but run separately for the Sejm. Poland's right-wing parties
have formed numerous similar arrangements in recent weeks, but
conflicts among party leaders have generally led to their speedy
collapse. Intervention by the Church reflects the bishops' concern
that the more stable left-wing parties will profit in the elections
from the right wing's fragmentation. Louisa Vinton

CZECH-SLOVAK RELATIONS ARE "MAJOR SUCCESS." Czech Foreign Minister
Josef Zieleniec told journalists that the manner in which the
division of Czechoslovakia had been carried out and the relations
between its two successor states represent a "major success,"
CTK reported on 13 July. Zieleniec pointed out that despite the
skepticism of foreign observers and fears of developments similar
to those in the former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union,
Czechs and Slovaks have demonstrated that they were willing and
capable of dissolving the federation peacefully. The foreign
minister added that the remaining 25 billion koruny worth of
federal property that has yet to be distributed represents a
minor problem. The border issue remains the one important unresolved
matter, and Zieleniec made it clear that the Czech Republic will
introduce border checks for "persons from third countries," no
matter what lovakia decides to do. Jan Obrman

SLOVAK LAW ON NAMES HITS A SNAG. On 13 July Premier Vladimir
Meciar returned the law on names and surnames to the National
Council because of a "recommendation by the government," TASR
reports. Minister of Culture Dusan Slobodnik explained that Meciar's
action does not mean a complete disapproval of the law, but the
majority of the Slovak government believes the law "violates
the grammatical construction of the Slovak language." The law,
which was passed by parliament on 7 July, follows the Council
of Europe's recommendation that Slovakia broaden its minority
rights legislation. Sharon Fisher

AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT IN SLOVAKIA. Thomas Klestil arrived in Slovakia
on 13 July for a two-day visit. In talks with President Michal
Kovac, Klestil expressed concern over Slovakia's nuclear power
station at Bohunice, near the Austrian border. The two also discussed
Slovakia's entry into European structures and cooperation between
the Bratislava and Vienna airports, TASR reports. Klestil spoke
with Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar about refugee problems and
business cooperation. On 14 July Klestil will visit various Slovak-Austrian
joint ventures. Austria is the largest foreign investor in Slovakia,
with 27.3% of all investment. Sharon Fisher

FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER IN HUNGARY. Alain Juppe paid a one-day
visit to Hungary, MTI reports. He had talks with Prime Minister
Jozsef Antall, to whom he extended a formal invitation to visit
Paris. Juppe pointed out that half of French investments in Eastern
Europe are in Hungary, symbolizing the excellent political relations
between the two countries. Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenszky said
that Hungary is ready to work on Premier Edouard Baladur's all-European
peace proposal, which emphasizes respect for national minority
rights. They also agreed on future high-level political contacts
between the two countries. Karoly Okolicsanyi

SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY BEGIN GABCIKOVO TALKS. MTI reports that unannounced
talks have started in Brussels about an interim Danube water
distribution agreement. The new talks were initiated by the EC
after earlier negotiations were deadlocked. An interim solution
is being sought until the International Court of Justice rules
on a joint appeal to settle the dispute. Karoly Okolicsanyi

ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT, MINERS WRESTLE OVER PAY RISES. On 12 July
the government renewed efforts to break a deadlock in wage negotiations
with representatives of the Jiu Valley coal miners. The miners'
delegation was headed by Miron Cosma, a controversial union leader
who led his men into Bucharest on four occasions in 1990 and
1991 to crush opposition to President Ion Iliescu. A first round
of talks, held on 11 July in Lupeni, was attended by Economic
Reform Minister Misu Negritoiu and Labor and Social Protection
Minister Dan Mircea Popescu. The miners threatened to strike
unless their wages were tripled--from 96,000 to 310,000 lei (about
$120 to $400), depending on the performed work. They also presented
a list of social claims, including better housing conditions
and medical care. After the 12 July talks in Bucharest, Negritoiu
told Radio Bucharest that he considered the demands exaggerated.
He also noted that the coal miners already earned far more than
the average Romanian. On 13 July the National Trade Union Bloc,
one of Romania's main union organizations, appealed to the government
not to give in to pressure from miners. Dan Ionescu

IMF MISSION TO BUCHAREST. On 12 July a mission of the International
Monetary Fund, headed by Max Watson, chief negotiator for Romania,
was received by Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Vacaroiu, who
spoke of recent steps to boost economic reforms, including a
last price liberalization round on 1 May and the introduction
of the value-added tax on 1 July. Talks began on the same day
at Romania's National Bank on completing a financing agreement
for 1993. On the 13th the delegation discussed restructuring-related
issues with Economic Reform Minister Misu Negritoiu. More negotiations
are expected to follow this week at the Finance, Labor and Trade
Ministries, as well as at the Commission for Economic Forecast
and the National Statistical Board. Dan Ionescu

UKRAINE TO TAKE SEVASTOPOL ISSUE TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL. According
to a Foreign Ministry official, Ukraine intends to ask the UN
Security Council to consider the Russian parliament's declaration
of sovereignty over Sevastopol, Radio Ukraine reported on 13
July. The official claimed that the Russian move represents a
"threat to peace and international security" and can therefore
be addressed by the Security Council under the terms of the UN
Charter. John Lepingwell

KRAVCHUK SEEKS CANCELLATION OF CONFIDENCE VOTE. President Leonid
Kravchuk has asked parliament to cancel a referendum on confidence
in his administration, calling the vote to hold the referendum
unconstitutional, Reuters reported on 13 July. Legal experts
agreed with Kravchuk that the 228-18 vote fell short of the 300
votes required. The referendum was scheduled for September to
fulfill in part the demands of miners who staged a 12-day strike
in June. Kravchuk has said that he will not be obligated to resign
even if the vote is against him. He called the vote on the parallel
referendum on confidence in parliament unconstitutional as well
but did not request its cancellation. Susan Stewart

INDIANS IN UKRAINE, BULGARIA. Indian President Shankar Dayal
Sharma has arrived on his first official visit to Ukraine, according
to Ukrainian Radio on 13 July. He will meet with President Kravchuk,
Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma and other officials. The visit is
primarily for the purpose of political consultations. Meanwhile,
BTA reports that representatives of the Bulgarian and Indian
governments met in Sofia on the same day and agreed to establish
closer relations between their respective defense ministries.
The memorandum, which was also initialed by Bulgarian Minister
of Defense Valentin Aleksandrov and India's Minister of State
for Defense M. Mallikarjun, will allow the signatories to move
towards "military and technical cooperation" in the future. According
to an AFP report, the Indian delegation seemed to express particular
interest in spare parts for Soviet-built aircraft used by the
Indian air force. Susan Stewart and Stan Markotich

REACTIONS TO ESTONIAN ALIEN LAW. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Sergei Yastrzhembsky criticized the revised law on aliens signed
by Estonia's president Lennart Meri on 12 July. The new version,
he said, includes only some of the changes suggested by CSCE
and Council of Europe experts. CSCE High Commissioner for Minorities
Max van der Stoel said that Estonia had taken a "major step"
forward by revising the law and noted that a number of old formulations
that might have led to arbitrary decisions had been removed.
He noted positively Estonia's decision to grant official status
to the assembly of representatives of the Russian minority, an
RFE/RL correspondent in Munich and Russian media reported on
13 July. Dzintra Bungs

BALTIC, RUSSIAN REACTION TO PROPOSAL TO DENOUNCE TREATIES. The
recent proposal of the Russian Supreme Soviet Presidium to denounce
the 1920 Russian-Latvian and Russian-Estonian peace treaties
has drawn criticism both from the Russian and Baltic foreign
ministries, Baltic media reported on 13 July. The Estonians said
that the proposal is an attempt to destabilize bilateral relations
and expressed the hope that Moscow will have the common sense
to honor its international commitments. The Latvians called it
a dangerous precedent that could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Russian Foreign Ministry official Aleksandr Udaltsov said that
while Russia does not believe that the 1920 treaties are in force
because they were signed by Soviet Russia, he termed the presidium's
proposal "nonsensical" from the point of view of international
law. Dzintra Bungs

LITHUANIA ALLOWS DETENTIONS UP TO TWO MONTHS. On 13 June, in
an effort to combat the activities of organized criminal groups,
parliament approved the detention for up to two months of individuals
suspected of planning to commit crimes detailed in Article 227
of the Criminal Code, Radio Lithuania reports. The article, "Organizing,
Leading or Participation in a Criminal Organization (Group),"
was passed on 28 January 1993. The detention has to be approved
by the city or raion prosecutor as well as the Prosecutor General.
The law is temporary, in force only until 1 January 1994. Saulius
Girnius

RUSSIAN MILITARY EXERCISES HELD. Diena reported on 13 July that
the Russia's Northwestern Group of Forces is going ahead with
the three-day military exercises in Dobele despite official protests
from Latvia. Dzintra Bungs

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Charles Trumbull and John Lepingwell



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