No. 162, 25 August 1993

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.





RUSSIA



NEW CHARGES AGAINST RUTSKOI. Andrei Makarov, the head of the
anti-corruption commission set up by President Boris Yeltsin,
went on Russian television on 24 August to cast new accusations
against Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi. Makarov presented bank
documents purportedly showing that Rutskoi had signed agreements
transferring millions of dollars from state funds to Western
companies for food shipments and that some of that money was
transferred to a numbered Swiss bank account owed by Rutskoi.
He said that the evidence had been turned over to the Moscow
City prosecutor and could lead to criminal charges against Rutskoi.
Rutskoi denied any allegation that he had misappropriated state
money and said that Makarov's accusations were part of a political
campaign against him. -Alexander Rahr

CENTRISTS OPPOSE RUTSKOI'S HARD-LINE STANCE. The Smolensk regional
branch of the Democratic Party has sent a letter to the party's
central board complaining about a speech given by Rutskoi during
his trip to Smolensk in the beginning of August, ITAR-TASS reported
on 24 August. The Democratic Party, led by Nikolai Travkin, had
formed an alliance with Rutskoi's People's Party of "Free Russia"
when both parties joined the Civic Union in May 1992. The Smolensk
regional branch accused Rutskoi of "cheapest populism in the
style of the National Salvation Front," and said Rutskoi "discredited
the idea of political centrism." The central leadership of the
Democratic Party is now expected formally to break with the Civic
Union because of Rutskoi's shift to the far-right. -Alexander
Rahr

YELTSIN ON OBJECTIVES OF POLISH VISIT. President Yeltsin arrived
for an official visit to Poland on 24-August. Prior to his departure,
Yeltsin outlined the agenda of the visit: to sign eight agreements,
including one on a natural gas pipeline through Poland, Russian
television reported. The focal point of the trip will be trade
relations between Russia and Poland, an area where activity has
slowed dramatically since the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Indicative
of this situation was Yeltsin's emphasis that the two countries
will "have to work out how to cooperate on a new basis, because
old mechanisms do not work any more." -Suzanne Crow

FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL TO JAPAN. Deputy Foreign Minister Georgii
Kunadze will arrive in Japan on 27 August to begin two days of
talks with his Japanese counterpart, Hiroshi Fukuda, AFP and
Kyodo reported on 24 August. The talks, aimed at preparing for
a planned visit to Japan by Yeltsin in October, will deal with
issues that include the Kuril Islands territorial dispute and
security in the Asia-Pacific region. They come in the wake of
bellicose remarks by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin to the
effect that Russia would never cede any of the four disputed
islands to Japan. Meanwhile, former state secretary and long-time
Yeltsin ally, Gennadii Burbulis, is set to visit Japan from 2-11
September, Kyodo reported on 23-August. Burbulis will hold talks
with Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and Foreign Minister Tsutomu
Hata, as well as other prominent government, business, and academic
figures. -Stephen Foye

JAPAN TOP FAR EAST INVESTOR. The Japanese External Trade Organization
(JETRO) said on 24 August that Japan's investment in Russia's
Far East was $83.1-million this year, topping both the US and
China, who were second and third, respectively. Most of Japan's
investment was reported to be in service industries, especially
the hotel, restaurant, and retail sectors. AFP said that a similar
report issued earlier by JETRO showed that Japan was the world's
second largest trading partner with the Russian Far East, after
China. -Stephen Foye

SOUTH KOREA REJECTS RUSSIAN ARMS OFFER. The government of South
Korea on 24-August rejected a Russian offer to supply weaponry
as repayment for the interest on debts owed by Russia to South
Korea, The Korea Herald reported. The deal was suggested by Russian
Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Shokhin, who is in Seoul on an
official visit. South Korean officials reportedly cited South
Korea's wide-ranging defense ties to the US as the primary reason
for the refusal. South Korean President Kim Yong-sam, invited
by Shokhin to visit Moscow, said that a visit this year might
not be possible, but that it could take place next year. -Stephen
Foye

INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND VACCINATION PLANS. Samples of vibrioid
cholera have been discovered in the Protva river which supplies
drinking water to Kaluga, ITAR-TASS reported on 24 August. This
may be related to the cholera strain that has swept through much
of Asia this year. Also on 24 August, a deputy chairman of the
State Epidemics Monitoring Commission told a Moscow news conference
that 70,000 cases of viral hepatitis, 45,000 cases of bacterial
dysentery, and 40,000 cases of salmonella had been registered
so far this year, Reuters reported. He said that the Ministry
of Health aimed to spend 1.2 billion rubles on vaccinations against
infectious diseases. (Since it is planned to inoculate 90% of
all children and 70% of adults against diphtheria alone, this
works out at less than 1 cent a shot at the current rate of exchange.)
-Keith Bush

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



YELTSIN, ARDZINBA DISCUSS ABKHAZ PEACE AGREEMENT. Meeting in
Moscow on 24-August with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Abkhaz
parliament chairman Vladislav Ardzinba expressed his gratitude
for Russia's role in mediating last month's Abkhaz ceasefire
agreement, ITAR-TASS reported. The two men further agreed on
the need for further negotiations on a political solution to
the Abkhaz conflict under the aegis of the UN, and with Russian
participation. Also on 24-August, the UN Security Council unanimously
passed a resolution on sending 88 observers to Abkhazia to monitor
the ceasefire, according to an RFE/RL correspondent. -Liz Fuller


AZERBAIJAN UPDATE. Tens of thousands of civilians continue to
flee towards Iran to escape the ongoing fighting in the region
of Dzhebrail in southern Azerbaijan, Western agencies reported
on 24 August quoting IRNA. Meeting with Azerbaijani parliament
chairman Geidar Aliev in Baku, Russia's special envoy for Nagorno-Karabakh,
Vladimir Kazimirov, expressed Russia's concern at the dangerous
situation in south-west Azerbaijan, arguing that "Russia cannot
remain indifferent to the fate of hundreds of thousands of people,
regardless of their nationality." According to ITAR-TASS, he
called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities
and the withdrawal of Karabakh Armenian forces to within the
confines of Nagorno-Karabakh. -Liz Fuller

KYRGYZSTAN TIGHTENS BUDGET. The government of Kyrgyzstan has
announced measures to cut state expenditures drastically, ITAR-TASS
and Reuters reported on 24 August. The measures include restrictions
on lending to industry and sharply reducing funding for the education,
labor and health ministries. The government also plans to move
some other social expenditures off-budget to what appears to
be a fund financed by a tax on sales revenue from enterprises,
but excluding many in the agriculture and energy sectors. Kyrgyzstan
has been struggling to curtail its budget deficit and maintain
the stability of its recently introduced national currency, the
som. It was unclear when these budgetary measures would be introduced,
and news coverage conflicted concerning which government office
issued them. -Erik Whitlock

KUNAEV DIES. Former Kazakh CP first secretary Dinmukhamed Kunaev
died on 22 August at the age of 81, ITAR-TASS reported. Kunaev's
replacement by the Russian Gennadii Kolbin in December 1986,
after 24-years as republican Party first secretary, sparked off
demonstrations in Alma-Ata which were suppressed by security
forces. An obituary signed by the entire Kazakh leadership stresses
Kunaev's "enormous contribution" to the development of Kazakhstan's
economy and "his services to the people during the difficult
period of the Communist experiment." A state funeral was scheduled
for 25 August. -Liz Fuller

CIS

CIS DEFENSE CHIEFS REACH AGREEMENTS. The Council of CIS Defense
Ministers, meeting in Moscow for a second day of talks, reached
a number of agreements, ITAR-TASS reported on 24-August. Participants
agreed, first, to transform the supreme command of the CIS Joint
Armed Forces into a permanent headquarters for coordinating military
cooperation, to be subordinated to the CIS Council of Defense
Ministers. The decision abolished the post of CIS commander in
chief, formerly held by Evgenii Shaposhnikov, and named CIS main
staff chief Viktor Samsonov as temporary head of the new headquarters.
There was apparently some disagreement over the implications
that the abolition of the commander-in-chief position would carry
for CIS and international agreements on strategic nuclear weapons,
and it is not clear if all questions in this area were resolved.
All decisions are subject to approval by the CIS Heads of State
Council. -Stephen Foye

COLLECTIVE SECURITY SIGNATORIES WIDEN COOPERATION. Representatives
of the six signatory states to the CIS Collective Security Treaty
signed a document that will promote military cooperation in eleven-areas,
including the setting up a common air defense system and the
drafting a long-term concept on developing the CIS joint armed
forces. In addition, they approved a Russian proposal that would
apparently set up a Collective Security Council (CSC) to include
the heads of CIS states, their Defense and Foreign Ministers,
as well as a secretary general. Military bodies, consisting of
the Council of Defense Ministers, the Chief of Staffs Committee,
and the headquarters for coordinating military cooperation, would
be directly subordinated to the CSC. At the same time, five of
the CIS signatories to the Collective Security Treaty-Russia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan-agreed to
set up a "coalition" peacekeeping force in Tajikistan. Col.-Gen.
Boris Pyankov was nominated to head the peacekeeping contingent.
-Stephen Foye

CIS FOREIGN MINISTERS AGREE ON JOINT UN INITIATIVES. A meeting
of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Moscow on 24 August
reached agreement on eight documents, including joint initiatives
on fighting terrorism, drugs, pollution, and the spread of weapons
of mass destruction to be presented to the 48th UN General Assembly
in September, ITAR-TASS and Western agencies reported. They also
agreed to nominate Belarus for non-permanent membership of the
UN Security Council. Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev
noted the growing tendency of the CIS states towards cooperation
and integration, and said they should become not just a regional
but an international factor. Seven of the nine member states
were represented by their foreign ministers. Ukraine and Kazakhstan
sent only deputy ministers. The foreign minister, acting foreign
minister, and first deputy foreign minister of Moldova, Azerbaijan,
and Georgia respectively attended as observers. -Ann Sheehy

GRAIN EXPORTS FROM KAZAKHSTAN, UKRAINE. In 1993, Russia expects
a good grain harvest of around 120 million tons. This will sharply
reduce its requirements for imported grain. Kazakhstan and Ukraine
are also anticipating bumper crops. Kazakhstan has announced
that it plans to export 6 million tons of grain from the new
harvest to CIS countries, including 3-million tons to Russia,
Mayak reported on 10 August. A Ukrainian government spokesman
told an RFE/RL correspondent on 20 August that the republic expects
a harvest of some 44 million tons, and may ship grain to Russia
in partial payment for energy supplies. -Keith Bush

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



BOSNIAN UPDATE. A cease-fire was to go into effect in Mostar
on 25 August, and on the same day two US planes dropped packaged
meals and medical supplies there, international agencies report.
The Muslim part of Mostar has received no aid since 2 June and
UN officials said that people might begin dying of starvation
in the next few days. Bosnian Croats blocked an aid convoy on
24 August, but later agreed to allow the convoy to pass on 25
August if there is first a Croat-Muslim exchange of bodies of
fallen soldiers. The UN Security Council said on 24 August that
an immediate cease-fire is crucial to a negotiated peace and
urged the warring parties to reach a "just and comprehensive
settlement." The Security Council reconfirmed Bosnia's sovereignty
and territorial integrity and said the republic would retain
its seat in the UN under the Geneva peace plan. In Sarajevo Bosnian
Foreign Minister Haris Silajdzic said that President Alija Izetbegovic
has accepted the principle of Bosnia's ethnic division but still
objects to the map drawn up at the Geneva talks. -Fabian Schmidt


CROATS PROCLAIM "REPUBLIC OF HERCEG-BOSNA." Vjesnik of 25 August
reports that the governing body of the ruling Croatian Democratic
Community (HDZ) among the Croats of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared
its own republic in Livno the previous day. Those Croats first
proclaimed their Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna on 3 July
1992, which was nominally subject to the Bosnian government,
but which used Croatian currency, had its own military organization,
and issued its own stamps and car license plates that were similar
to those in Croatia. The new republic, however, makes a clean
break with what the resolution calls "the former Republic of
Bosnia-Herzegovina" and calls on all Croats serving with the
Sarajevo government to repudiate it and join the service of the
new republic. As such it appears to be hewing to the Geneva peace
plan, which calls for making Bosnia a union of three republics,
but the statement also seems to be a declaration of victory by
Herzegovinian Croat nationalists over more moderate Bosnian Croats.
-Patrick Moore

REACTION TO BELGRADE'S AUSTERITY PROGRAM. The federal Yugoslav
government's austerity program, introduced on 18 August in an
effort to revive an economy wracked by international sanctions
and failed economic policies, has for the most part drawn criticism
and skepticism. On 24 August Politika published results of a
Tanjug poll that show that most businessmen in Serbia-Montenegro
are both critical of and cautious about the economic measures.
The head of Belgrade's Economic Chamber remarked that the measures
came too late and lack an adequate economic foundation. Serbia's
political parties, with the exception of the ruling Socialists,
have criticized the measures. The Serbian Renewal Party sees
the program as an unsuccessful attempt of the government to "mask
its past mistakes." The Democratic Party said the measures clearly
disband the current market system and reintroduces a command
economy. Vojislav Kostunica, head of the opposition Democratic
Party of Serbia, said "hyperinflation is leading us into African-style
poverty and hunger." Milomir Minic, the secretary-general of
the Socialist Party, described the measures as struggle against
corruption and crime and said "nobody will go hungry." Milan
Andrejevich

UN RESOLUTION ON KOSOVO? RADIO SERBIA REPORTED ON 20 AUGUST THAT
A SUBGROUP OF THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION SUBMITTED A DRAFT
RESOLUTION ON KOSOVO THAT COULD LEAD TO A DISCUSSION OF THE RIGHTS
OF KOSOVO'S ETHNIC ALBANIANS AT THE COMMISSION'S CURRENT SESSION
IN GENEVA. The UN Subcommittee for the Protection of Minorities
condemns Serbia for discrimination against Albanians and violations
of their human rights. The resolution calls on Belgrade to revoke
all discriminatory laws and to facilitate the work of CSCE human
rights observers. Meanwhile, Jedinstvo on 24-August reacted to
Western reports on the possibility of war in Kosovo due to Serbian
repression. The Pristina Serbian-language daily remarked that
Serbia does not have a single reason to contemplate war, and
that the Serbs and Albanians would "stand to gain nothing by
waging war. " The commentary went on to argue that Kosovo is
indivisible and cannot belong only to Albanians or only to Serbs,
and accused Albanian political groups of provocations in order
to place the Serbian province under UN protection. Milan Andrejevich


ALBANIAN PRISON NEWS. AFP reports on 25 August that Nexhmije
Hoxha, widow of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, will again appeal
her prison sentence after being convicted last January on charges
of abuse of funds. Her last appeal proved counterproductive,
when two years were added to her nine-year sentence. Meanwhile,
Zeri i Popullit reports on the 25th that Alexandros Alavanos,
a Greek deputy to the European Parliament, has written to that
body's foreign affairs ministry calling for the immediate release
of Socialist leader Fatos Nano and noting the increasingly antidemocratic
actions of Albanian President Sali Berisha. Albanian prison life
is undoubtedly difficult, as confirmed by the experiences of
former President Ramiz Alia reported in Gazeta Shqiptare on 22
August. Alia, along with the majority of Albania's last politburo,
are finding it hard to adjust to their new living arrangements
in a Tirana jail. They can receive limited visitors and are permitted
only 60 minutes of fresh air a day. When arrested, Alia asked
to bring a pen along but was refused. In an interview Alia noted
that he would prefer "a political trial." He acknowledged that
important mistakes were made during the communist period, especially
the class war, which "damaged the unity of the people." -Robert
Austin

BULGARIAN ECONOMIC NEWS. On 24 August Aleksandar Bozhkov, director
of the Agency for Privatization, was dismissed. Bozhkov, who
recently has voiced criticism of the government's new mass privatization
scheme, was removed by a decision of the agency's Supervisory
Council. Council chairwoman Reneta Indzhova, appointed only last
week, refused to give a specific reason for Bozhkov's removal
but hinted to Reuters that the breakdown of cooperation between
the agency and the government was a key factor. Meanwhile, Texaco
corporate officials announced that a natural gas deposit has
been found in the Black Sea, 40-km (26 miles) off the coast.
Kontinent of 25 August quoted oil drillers as saying that a few
more tests will show whether the deposit is rich enough to warrant
extraction. Finally, the Bulgarian financial market is adjusting
to the new prime rate, set at 44%. Officials of the Bulgarian
National Bank told Pari that the decision to lower interest rates
by 4% is hoped to stimulate the loan market. -Kjell Engelbrekt


POLAND, BULGARIA SIGN REPATRIATION AGREEMENT. Polish Internal
Affairs Minister Andrzej Milczanowski and his Bulgarian counterpart,
Viktor Mihaylov, signed an agreement governing the repatriation
of illegal immigrants on 24 August in Warsaw. The agreement provides
for the deportation of Bulgarians caught attempting to cross
into Germany, as well as those arrested for crimes in Poland.
PAP reports that 1,523-Bulgarians were caught on Poland's borders
between January and July. Mihaylov said that Bulgaria would not
have much cause to use the agreement because few Poles now travel
to Bulgaria. Poland has signed similar agreements with Germany,
Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Romania.
Milczanowski announced that the upper limit of 10,000 rejected
asylum-seekers that Poland is required to accept from Germany
this year will not be reached or even approached. -Louisa Vinton


EXTREMIST POLITICIAN DETAINED IN WARSAW. Boleslaw Tejkowski,
the head of the Polish National Community, a nationalist fringe
party, was arrested in Warsaw on 23 August as he was about to
enter a regional television studio to take part in an election
broadcast, PAP reports. A former communist party member, Tejkowski
was charged in March 1992 with inciting ethnic conflict and slandering
the Jews, the Pope, the Catholic bishops conference, and the
highest Polish state institutions. Tejkowski then failed to appear
at court-ordered psychiatric examinations and evaded police for
more than a year. It is not clear if he will now be judged fit
to stand trial. Tejkowski's party, which specializes in small
but raucous anti-Semitic demonstrations attended mainly by skinheads,
is registered for the coming elections in 18 of 52 election districts.
It stands little chance of gaining any seats in the parliament.
-Louisa Vinton

POLISH ELECTION ROUNDUP. Solidarity chairman Marian Krzaklewski
repeated charges at a press conference on 24 August that privatization
in Poland is "criminal," Polish TV reports. He admitted, however,
that there are some privatization success stories. Silesian activist
Alojzy Pietrzyk, the deputy who argued the union's no-confidence
motion in the government on the Sejm floor, will head Solidarity's
national election list. The Polish Peasant Party called for a
slow, "evolutionary" approach to agrarian reform and proposed
limits on agricultural imports. The "Fatherland" Catholic coalition
criticized Poland's association agreement with the EC and launched
a campaign to require visas from citizens of former Soviet states.
The Self Defense union pledged to set up a "National Tribunal"
to sentence "traitors" (including the ministers of privatization,
justice, and public administration) to 8-25 years imprisonment.
-Louisa Vinton

CZECH INTELLIGENCE SERVICES DISCUSSED. Following a series of
media revelations in July about alleged misconduct, the Council
for Intelligence Activities, a supervisory body, met on 24 August
to discuss the future of intelligence services in the Czech Republic.
There are currently four organizations in the country: the Czech
Bureau of Intelligence and Security (BIS); the Office for Foreign
Contacts and Information; Army Defense Intelligence; and Military
Intelligence of the Army Chiefs of Staff. CTK reports that the
council discussed reducing the number of intelligence services,
but did not reach any conclusion. Stanislav Devaty, acting director
of BIS, has argued that there should be only one civilian and
one military intelligence service. -Jiri Pehe

FEWER PEOPLE CROSSING FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC TO GERMANY. Czech
and German media reported on 25 August that the number of people
caught trying to enter Germany illegally from the Czech Republic
has dropped dramatically since Germany's stricter asylum law
took effect on 1 July. Czech police officials say that about
20 people are caught daily along the 700-kilometer German-Czech
border, compared with an average of about 100-before the law
changed. -Jiri Pehe

SLOVAK CABINET PROPOSES AMBASSADOR'S DISMISSAL. At a regular
cabinet session on 24-August, Premier Vladimir Meciar's proposal
to replace Ambassador to Austria Rudolf Filkus was approved.
The proposal will soon be presented to President Michal Kovac,
who has the power to dismiss the ambassador. Filkus is accused
of "repeated lack of loyalty toward the Slovak Republic's executive
structures," TASR reports. The ambassador responded with surprise
to the proposal, saying that he has "always concentrated on creating
a good image for the Slovak Republic in Austria" and has "never
been disloyal towards Vladimir Meciar's cabinet." Filkus, an
economist and former chairman of the executive council of Meciar's
party, was relegated to the diplomatic corps earlier this year
after supporting former Foreign Minister Milan Knazko in his
losing battle to remain in office. -Sharon Fisher

ROMANIAN RAILWAYS MAY FIRE MORE STRIKERS. An official of the
state railway company was quoted by Radio Bucharest on 24 August
as saying that more train drivers may be fired for their role
in a strike that paralyzed rail traffic between 11 and 17 August.
The official singled out the case of four drivers who have already
been dismissed because they refused to obey a government order
to return to work on 17 August. The four started a protest fast
instead. In a separate development, the public prosecutor's office
announced that it is investigating whether union leaders who
led the recent strike committed a punishable crime. The office
said that the Article 274 of the criminal code makes it a crime
to deliberately shun work duties or perform them imperfectly.
This crime can carry jail terms of between one and five years.
-Dan Ionescu

MOLDOVA QUESTIONS ROMANIAN AID. Reacting to the Romanian leaders'
recent, highly publicized offers to ship fuel and other goods
to Moldova as emergency "fraternal aid," senior officials of
the Foreign Trade Ministry told Basapress on 24 August that Moldova
is in fact required to supply goods to Romania of an equivalent
value. Moldovan Energy Department officials in turn told Reuters
on 24 August that Romania wants the value of its fuel calculated
at world prices. Romanian and Moldovan media have reported in
recent days that Romanian officials are exploring ways to ship
Moldovan farm produce to Romania in payment for the promised
Romanian aid. Responding to charges by the Moldovan Popular Front
that Chisinau is being ungrateful for the offer, President Mircea
Snegur's chief political adviser, Viorel Ciubotaru, was cited
by an RFE/RL correspondent on 24 August as saying that Romanian
aid is "just as real as the map of Moldova on the Popular Front's
coat of arms". That map shows Bessarabia as part of Greater Romania.
-Vladimir Socor

RUSSIAN GAS SUPPLIES TO BELARUS RESTORED. During the meeting
in Moscow of the Russian and Belarusian prime ministers on 24
August, Russia agreed to restore gas supplies to Belarus in full,
Belapan reports. A partial cutoff of gas supplies was announced
on 15 August when Belarus was declared to be in default for past
deliveries; it has now agreed to pay 25-billion rubles towards
the outstanding sum. In recent months, Russia has cut off or
curtailed gas supplies to Ukraine, Moldova, and the Baltic States,
or has threatened to do so, while Turkmenistan has done much
the same with its customers. -Keith Bush

GREATER BALTIC COOPERATION SEEN. The Russian cancellation of
troop withdrawal talks with Lithuania appears to have spurred
the Baltic States to closer cooperation. The scheduled meeting
of presidents on 27 August in Riga has now been expanded to also
include the three prime ministers, Radio Lithuania reported on
24 August. While the presidential-level talks will primarily
focus on Baltic-Russian relations, the premiers will discuss
a tripartite free-trade agreement, a draft of which was initialed
on the 24th at a meeting of foreign ministry experts in Vilnius.
Estonian Mart Laar had declined to attend a meeting of the Lithuanian
and Latvian premiers on 16 August on the free trade agreement,
calling it premature. His changed position seems to verify that
outside pressure is the best method to boost Baltic cooperation.
The trade agreement will probably be signed in September. -Saulius
Girnius

LATVIA AWAITS RUSSIAN REPLY. Martins Virsis, the new head of
the Latvian delegation for negotiations with Russia, told the
RFE/RL Latvian Service on 24-August that Riga has still not received
a response from Moscow to its invitation to resume negotiations
on 30-August concerning the withdrawal of Russian troops. Virsis
said that according to Baltic estimates at the end of June, there
are about 3,500 Russian troops in Estonia and 2,500 in Lithuania.
Virsis explained that in Latvia the Russian military personnel
number 18,764, of whom about half are officers. Breaking the
total down by service, 4,572 belong to the army 7,214 to the
navy, 5,008 to the air force, and 1970 to the air defense forces.
-Dzintra Bungs

BRAZAUSKAS MODERATE ON RUSSIA. On 24 August Lithuanian President
Algirdas Brazauskas issued a statement on relations with Moscow,
Radio Lithuania reports. It stated that Lithuania has no desire
to get involved in "a psychological or cold war" with Russia,
noting that Lithuania's firm and moderate position has brought
its first results: "even when relations became tense, the dialogue
with Moscow was not broken off and now new possibilities for
continuing it have emerged, to achieve mutually acceptable positions."
This would lead to the withdrawal of the Russian army and the
restoration of normal relations with Russia, the statement concluded.
-Saulius Girnius

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







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