No. 187, 29 September 1993

RUSSIA



KOSTIKOV ON FEDERATION COUNCIL. President Boris Yeltsin's press
secretary Vyacheslav Kostikov stated on 28 September that there
was no need for a hasty summoning of the Federation Council,
which some politicians were calling for, ITAR-TASS reported.
Kostikov said that the date of the next session would be announced
as soon as the necessary documents were ready. Kostikov then
went on to accuse a number of regional leaders, particularly
those who belonged to the former Communist nomenklatura, of using
the crisis to try and transfer powers to the regions, advancing
the idea of all kinds of "regional republics" and "regional agreements."
Unfortunately, Kostikov added, the leaders of some republics
were also drawn into this dangerous game, and were using the
Federation Council as an instrument of pressure. -Ann Sheehy


MORE CALLS FOR ELECTED FEDERATION COUNCIL. There seem to be growing
objections, even in the Yeltsin camp, to the idea that the present
Federation Council, with its ex officio membership, should become
the upper chamber of parliament following the election of the
State Duma in December. Under Yeltsin's decree on the federal
organs of power in the transitional period, the council would
only become an elected body at the time of the next local elections
due in March 1995. The "Club-93" group of political scientists,
which includes such figures as Andranik Migranyan, Georgii Satarov,
and Aleksandr Tsipko, stated on 28-September that both chambers
of the new parliament should be elected, ITAR-TASS reported.
Constitutional Court chairman Valerii Zorkin has expressed the
same view, while a Yeltsin spokesman has suggested that elections
to the upper chamber should be held at the same time as that
of the president. -Ann Sheehy

KOKOSHIN: ARMY LEADERSHIP BEHIND YELTSIN. Russian First Deputy
Defense Minister Andrei Kokoshin told ITAR-TASS on 28 September
that the leadership of the armed forces is united in its willingness
to implement instructions from the Russian president and government.
More specifically, Kokoshin said that the Ministry of Defense
Collegium, which includes all Deputy and First Deputy Defense
Ministers, was at one with Defense Minister Pavel Grachev. Grachev,
who has repeatedly proclaimed the army's political neutrality,
has nevertheless been a strong public supporter of the Russian
President. Kokoshin, the only civilian to sit on the Defense
Ministry Collegium, also described as "dangerous" attempts by
the parliamentary leadership to involve the army in Russia's
political struggle. He noted that the army had responsibility
for the safety and control of Russia's nuclear arsenal. -Stephen
Foye

ZORKIN CALLS FOR MEETING ON SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS. Constitutional
Court Chairman Valerii Zorkin called for an "immediate" meeting
between representatives of the president and the parliament to
fix a date for simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections.
On 28 September ITAR-TASS said the proposal was part of yet another
appeal by the Constitutional Court to leaders of the executive
and legislative branches of power in Moscow. To date, Yeltsin
has ruled out the possibility of simultaneous presidential and
parliamentary elections, although this proposal is supported
by the majority of Russia's republics and regions. -Vera Tolz


KRASIKOV DENOUNCES KHASBULATOV'S COMMENTS. In the evening of
28 September, a spokesman for President Yeltsin denounced comments
by parliamentary chairman Ruslan Khasbulatov who said earlier
in the day that Yeltsin was running a fascist regime. In an interview
with RFE/RL, spokesman Anatolii Krasikov said there had never
been a fascist regime which had asked people to take part in
nationwide parliamentary and presidential elections. Krasikov
said that by setting presidential elections for June 1994, Yeltsin
had demonstrated his readiness to hand over the leadership of
Russia to whomever the people choose. The spokesman also denounced
Khasbulatov for saying he believed plans were being made to possibly
storm the parliament building. Krasikov said Yeltsin continued
to exclude the possibility of using force against legislators.
-Vera Tolz

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT JUDGES RESIGN? ITAR-TASS, CITING "RELIABLE
SOURCES," REPORTED ON 28 SEPTEMBER THAT FOUR OF THE 13 JUDGES
OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT HAD DECIDED TO RESIGN. Another ITAR-TASS
report, confirmed by other news agencies, said that the court's
Deputy Chairman Nikolai Vitruk and judge Ernest Ametistov would
stop attending court sessions in compliance with President Yeltsin's
21 September decree which "recommended" that the court not sit
until a new parliament began work. In an interview with RFE/RL
on 28-September, Ametistov said, however, that he intended to
attend the court sessions if the court begins to evaluate the
legality of the latest decrees adopted by the parliament. Of
the other two rebel judges, Tamara Morshchakova denied that she
had resigned, and Anatolii Kononov did not attend the court's
28 September session. These four judges opposed the court's ruling
that Yeltsin's decree was unconstitutional and earlier in the
year had criticized Zorkin for being too involved in politics.
-Wendy Slater

RL MOSCOW STRINGER BEATEN BY POLICE. Andrei Babitsky, an RL Russian
Service stringer in Moscow, was beaten twice while reporting
on clashes between supporters of the Russian parliament and the
police in the streets close to the Russian White House on 28-September.
On the second occasion, listeners to RL's Russian Service could
hear Babitsky receiving blows from a police truncheon in the
course of a live show. Russian television newscasts broadcast
later that night failed to report the police violence. -Julia
Wishnevsky

INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS REPORT MEDIA CENSORSHIP. Speaking at
a press conference in Moscow on 28 September, Gleb Pavlovsky
of the Postfactum independent news agency quoted from government
instructions on the functioning of the state-run media which
ordered that radio and television refrain from covering the negative
reaction of a number of Russia's republics and regions to the
dissolution of the Russian parliament; from reporting the decline
of the president's popularity in Russia's provinces, and from
paying too much attention to the proposals put forward by various
Moscow and regional politicians on ways to achieve a compromise
between the president and parliament. The press conference was
reported by an RFE/RL correspondent in Moscow. On 25 September,
Nezavisimaya gazeta published other instructions by the Moscow
government to presidential envoys in the provinces which among
other things tasked the envoys with ensuring a pro-Yeltsin coverage
of the latest events by the local media. -Vera Tolz

CONVERSION ADVISER GIVEN NEW POST. President Yeltsin signed a
decree on 28-September appointing Mikhail Malei to the post of
chairman of the Security Council's Interdepartmental Commission
on Scientific-Technical Problems of the Defense Industry, ITAR-TASS
reported. The decree further relieved Malei of his duties as
Presidential Adviser on Conversion. Malei is known to have been
unhappy with the lack of progress in converting defense industries
to civilian output (see his critique in Nezavisimaya gazeta of
30 August), and he submitted his resignation from the post of
presidential adviser in early August in protest against the cancellation
of rocket technology sales to India. It is not known whether
a new presidential adviser will be appointed. -Keith Bush

BREAD ALLOWANCE FOR POOR. A government decree has set the scale
and method of payment of an allowance to poor citizens to offset
the higher prices of bread anticipated from 1 October, ITAR-TASS
reported on 28 September. The provision of a bread allowance
had been announced on 17 August, when the state price of flour
sold to baking enterprises had doubled and the subsidy lowered
accordingly. As of 1 October, the retail prices of various types
of bread will be decontrolled. Although the government has come
under pressure to reduce agricultural subsidies-estimated to
constitute 12-13% of GDP-Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin pledged
on 6 August to retain subsidies on grain for bread baking through
the end of 1993. -Keith Bush

SALVAGING THE RUBLE EXCHANGE RATE. After a plunge precipitated
by Yeltsin's suspension of parliament, the ruble seems to be
recovering its value vis-ˆ-vis the dollar, according to various
Russian and Western news agencies. On 21 September the ruble-dollar
exchange rate on the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange stood
at 1,036. Two days later, the dollar was traded for 1,299, a
25% rise. On 28 September the rate was back down to 1,201 rubles
to the dollar. The Russian Central Bank has been intervening
heavily to push the rate down. -Erik Whitlock

MILITARY CORRUPTION INCREASING? ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED
IN IZVESTIYA ON 17 SEPTEMBER, MILITARY OFFICERS ARE INCREASINGLY
TURNING TO CRIME. The article notes that in late August and early
September a group of 4 officers ranging from major to colonel
were arrested in Moscow in connection with the theft and sale
of arms. Three of the officers were associated with the Humanitarian
Academy of the Armed Forces (formerly the Lenin Military-Political
Academy). It was also claimed that several recent "contract killings"
in the Moscow area were carried out by former officers. -John
Lepingwell

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



SHEVARDNADZE RETURNS TO TBILISI. Georgian parliament chairman
Eduard Shevardnadze flew back to Tbilisi from Abkhazia on 28
September, Western agencies reported. Speaking at a press conference,
he characterized the fall of Sukhumi as "a great moral and political
blow" and again accused Russia of complicity. Shevardnadze categorically
ruled out Georgian membership of the CIS; he said that he was
prepared to resign and hand over power to former president Zviad
Gamsakhurdia if the Georgian people so wished, but would prefer
to hold new elections, according to Reuters. Shevardnadze accused
the Abkhaz of executing scores of Georgian prisoners, including
Zhiuli Shartava, who had been appointed Abkhaz Prime Minister
last month, despite an undertaking by Abkhaz parliament chairman
Vladislav Ardzinba to Russian deputy foreign minister Boris Pastukhov
that Shartava would be given safe conduct to Russia. -Liz Fuller


GAMSAKHURDIA CALLS ON SHEVARDNADZE TO RESIGN. In an interview
published in Der Standard on 28 September, Gamsakhurdia called
on Shevardnadze resign and the West to acknowledge him as the
rightful head of state. According to unconfirmed reports from
the Iberia news agency, Gamsakhurdia was leading his troops on
Sukhumi in order to try to retake the town. Meanwhile ITAR-TASS
reported that Abkhaz troops were advancing southwards towards
Ochamchira. -Liz Fuller

DIPLOMATIC REACTION. Speaking at a news briefing on 28 September,
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgi Karasin stated that
Russia views "with bitterness and incomprehension" the Abkhaz
violation of the 27-July ceasefire and the "dramatic events"
surrounding the fall of Sukhumi, according to ITAR-TASS. The
US State Department and French President Fran�ois Mitterand issued
statements in support of Shevardnadze; the State Department said
the US does not recognize the Abkhaz territorial gains. The Abkhaz
parliament issued a statement on 28 September asserting its readiness
to cease hostilities and resume implementation of the 27 July
ceasefire agreement, according to ITAR-TASS. In Geneva, a UN
spokeswoman said that the UN-sponsored negotiations on a political
settlement of the conflict, postponed once at the Abkhaz request
on 12 September and rescheduled for 30-September, have now been
postponed indefinitely. -Liz Fuller

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



CROATIA DEMANDS UNPROFOR CARRY OUT MANDATE OR LEAVE. Croatian
and international media reported on 28 September that President
Franjo Tudjman addressed the UN General Assembly in New York
and held informal talks with members of the Security Council.
He stressed that UNPROFOR must carry out the tasks assigned it
by the January 1992 Vance plan and by subsequent UN resolutions
or leave by the end of November. Its current mandate is slated
to end on 30 September, and the Security Council votes on the
29th as to whether to endorse the secretary general's call for
a six-month extension. The Croatian government, other leading
policy-making bodies, and the legislature demand that UNPROFOR
carry out its mandate to restore Croatian authority to Serb-held
territories, enable refugees to go home in safety, and disarm
Serb insurgents. The Serbs, however, hold to an interpretation
of the Vance plan that the UN is there as a shield for them,
and, in any event, UNPROFOR has shown no willingness to take
the tough action against the rebels that the Croats demand. UNPROFOR
is consequently highly unpopular in Croatia, where opinion polls
show that the recovery of the Serb-held lands is the top domestic
political priority. It now remains to be seen whether the Security
Council can pass a resolution that will somehow satisfy the Croats,
who would probably be faced with a virtually automatic return
to full-scale war with the Serbs if UNPROFOR leaves. -Patrick
Moore

BOSNIAN MUSLIMS EFFECTIVELY VOTE TO REJECT GENEVA PEACE PLAN.
On 28-September an assembly of prominent Muslims voted in Sarajevo
to recommend that parliament accept the proposed plan only if
the Serbs cede more territories to the proposed Muslim republic.
The Serbs are on record as calling that a non-starter, saying
that they would agree to limited territorial exchanges at most.
The Muslims, however, argue that the maps in their present form
simply legalize the results of ethnic cleansing. Speakers at
the two-day Muslim assembly were quoted by international media
as expressing bitterness toward Western countries, saying that
the Muslims had been "marginalized and demonized by Christian
Europe," and warning that "this evil we will never forget." Hard-line
Vice President Ejup Ganic said that "if it's 'take it or leave
it,' our position would be to reject the plan, of course." On
29 September, the mainly Muslim parliament is expected to vote
on accepting the project and may well choose to follow the assembly's
recommendation, but Reuters quotes Serb member of the republican
Presidency Mirko Pejanovic as saying that he expects the legislature
will opt for peace rather than face additional casualties. He
added that international guarantees must, however, be sufficient,
but rebel Serb military commander Ratko Mladic said that "NATO
forces should stick to their founding act and are not wanted
outside the territory of the countries which founded it." -Patrick
Moore

IZETBEGOVIC IMPOSES MILITARY RULE IN BIHAC. Croatian and international
media reported on 28 September that Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic
ordered the loyal Fifth Army Corps in the Bihac pocket of northwestern
Bosnia to take control of local radio and impose a 24-hour curfew.
He called the previous day's declaration of autonomy by local
political boss Fikret Abdic "a stab in the back," while Abdic
said that Izetbegovic was trying to impose a "holy war" on a
relatively peaceful region that has no intention of sacrificing
its "lives for the mad idea of creating an 'Alija state' in the
heart of Europe," AFP reported. Croatian radio said that people
in the Bihac pocket, or Cazin region, were following Abdic's
call not to observe the curfew. -Patrick Moore

SERBIAN SOCIALISTS AND RADICALS COLLIDE. A war of words has publicly
erupted between Serbia's ruling Socialist Party and the Serbian
Radical Party, the republic's second largest political party.
A statement released by the SPS's Executive Committee on 28-September
harshly attacked Vojislav Seselj, leader of the SRS, saying his
policy "personifies violence and primitivism" and warned that
such policy must be countered. The statement went on to say that
Serbia's future is not dictatorship and fascism, but democracy
and prosperity, and urged all citizens in Serbia to "join in
the struggle against the evil which is personified by Seselj."
The SPS attack came less than 24 hours after Seselj's SRS introduced
a proposal in the Serbian parliament to pass a vote of no confidence
in Serbia's government headed by Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic.
Seselj accused the government of corruption and incompetence.
The motion is expected to be debated next week and Seselj is
counting on support from other opposition parties. The SRS which
has 73 seats need 126 votes to pass the motion. Seselj responded
to the SPS statement saying the Socialists have "lost their heads
and will soon lose political power." Television and Radio Serbia
carried the reports on 28 September. -Milan Andrejevich

POSTCOMMUNIST COALITION FORMED IN POLAND . . . The two largest
parties in the parliament, the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)
and the Polish Peasant Party (PSL), reached initial agreement
on a joint government coalition on 28 September, PAP reports.
The agreement was announced after a meeting between SLD leader
Aleksander Kwasniewski and PSL chairman Waldemar Pawlak. The
SLD and PSL together control 303 of 460 seats in the Sejm and
73 of 100 seats in the Senate, and thus could change the constitution
at will. According to unofficial but widespread reports, Pawlak
is the coalition's candidate for prime minister. Pawlak held
the prime minister's post briefly in 1992 but failed to form
a government. The SLD informed President Lech Walesa of the "serious
likelihood" of new majority coalition in a letter and requested
a meeting with the president. Walesa responded with a statement
that, as he has repeatedly requested, three candidates for prime
minister must be submitted before any meeting can be held. -Louisa
Vinton

. . . BUT ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES REMAIN. A third party, the leftist
Union of Labor (UP), which unlike the postcommunist SLD and PSL
has its roots in the Solidarity tradition, announced it will
also join the coalition if the PSL gets control of the prime
minister's post and follows through with pledges of major changes
in economic policy. The UP has 41 seats in the Sejm. The coalition
is not yet firm, however, as serious conflicts on economic policy
have emerged between the SLD and the PSL. According to reports
on Polish TV, PSL activists accused the SLD of wishing to pursue
"too liberal" an economic policy and expressed suspicions that
the SLD will want to change too little on taking power. The SLD's
chief spokesman on economic questions, Jozef Oleksy, likewise
confirmed that the PSL is more eager than the SLD to raise the
budget deficit. For its part, the UP expressed concern at the
SLD's postelection statements that basic "continuity" will be
maintained in economic policy and questioned the SLD's credentials
as a "leftist" force. -Louisa Vinton

"INDIAGATE" SCANDAL IN SLOVAKIA. On 28 September Slovak daily
Sme released information implicating several top government officials
in a fraud involving $22 million dollars. Sme reports that the
$22 million was supposed to come to Slovakia from India as part
of a transaction involving sugar. The article says that Finance
Minister Julius Toth "robbed the Slovak economy of the $22 million,"
with the help of Czech secret service agent Imre Farnbauer, who
was allegedly in charge of collecting information on the ruling
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia via Toth. The newspaper claims
that the stolen money was deposited in foreign bank accounts
of Toth, National Bank Governor Vladimir Masar, Economy Minister
Kubecka, and Slovak emigrant living in Vienna Milan Adamek. In
response to the allegations, cabinet spokesman Ondrej Hanko said
"the Slovak cabinet has no information about any illegal activity
of any of its members . . . the article is therefore considered
to be a repeated campaign aimed to discredit particular members
of the cabinet. . . . " TASR reports. Hanko said the government
will not release details of the affair, since an investigation
is currently underway. The Slovak cabinet also announced it will
sue Sme. Meanwhile, spokesman for the Czech Interior Ministry
Pavel Subert said the Czech secret service does not have any
foreign agents. -Sharon Fisher

CSCE MINORITY EXPERT DELEGATION IN BUDAPEST. Wrapping up a five-day
visit, a CSCE delegation of legal experts designated to review
the situation of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia and that
of the Slovak minority in Hungary, held discussions with two
parliamentary committees, MTI reported. During the talks, Hungarian
lawmakers expressed disappointment about Slovakia's record on
fulfilling promises regarding minorities made at the country's
admission into the Council of Europe and particularly criticized
a new Slovak law requiring Hungarian women to use non-Hungarian
name forms. -Karoly Okolicsanyi

ROMANIA ADVANCES TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE ENTRY. The Council of Europe's
Parliamentary Assembly approved on 28 September Romania's application
for full membership. The final approval, however, must be granted
by the Council's Committee of Ministers, which has put off a
vote on Romania's admission this week. The Committee could still
grant Romania membership before the Council's summit, scheduled
for 8-October in Vienna. The parliamentary assembly's vote was
taken by a show of hands, and, despite a large majority, some
twenty parliamentarians abstained, which is unprecedented in
the Assembly's history. Among these were all Hungarian parliamentarians.
An RFE/RL correspondent in Strasbourg said the assembly clearly
qualified its support for the admission in the text of the resolution
adopted and in a number of amendments that spelled out doubts
about democratic reform and human rights implementation in Romania.
The doubts centered on the treatment of minorities, racism and
anti-Semitism, as well as on Romania's legal ban on homosexual
conduct. -Michael Shafir

VACAROIU IN MOSCOW. Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Vacaroiu
signed in Moscow five documents; agreements on double taxation,
trade, cooperation in tourism, the establishment of a Russian-Romanian
intergovernmental commission on economic, scientific and technical
cooperation, as well as a separate accord dealing with cooperation
in the fields of culture, science and education. Radio Bucharest
reported on 28 September that Vacaroiu raised with his Russian
host the issue of the Romanian national treasure, which the Bolshevik
regime failed to return after the First World War. Viktor Chernomyrdin
replied that the issue was a "philosophical one," since Russia
itself cannot trace part of the treasure lost in the course of
that war. -Michael Shafir

MELESCANU SEEKS UN SUPPORT FOR MOLDOVA. Foreign Minister Teodor
Melescanu told the UN General Assembly on 28 September that Romania
wants the assembly to voice its "resolute reaffirmation" of Moldova's
independence and territorial integrity, an RFE/RL correspondent
reports. Melescanu said the withdrawal of Russian troops from
Moldova was the key to the solution of the conflict there and
that the foreign ministers of Moldova, Russia and Ukraine should
resume talks with him on finding a solution to the conflict.
He also told the assembly that a Romanian battalion of "professional
military" is being prepared for service in UN peace-keeping operations.
The unit should be operational next spring. -Michael Shafir

BULGARIAN MACEDONIANS FORM NEW LOBBY. BTA on 28 September is
quoting Struma dnes as reporting that a group of Bulgarian citizens
identifying themselves as Macedonians are setting up a new lobby
organization. The Union for the Prosperity of Pirin Macedonia-referring
to the eastern part of the historic region which today makes
up southwestern Bulgaria-in its statutes pledges that it will
operate within the framework of national legislation. The organization
says it will work for the official recognition of a Macedonian,
as well as a Pomak [Bulgarian Muslim], minority in Bulgaria.
Meanwhile in Sofia, representatives of the Internal Macedonian
Revolutionary Organization-Union of Macedonian Associations (IMRO-UMA),
which rejects the existence of a Macedonian nationality, were
received by President Zhelyu Zhelev. The IMRO-UMA told Zhelev
about the economic situation in southwestern Bulgaria and delivered
a protest against the activity of the illegal United Macedonian
Organization "Ilinden." The UMO "Ilinden" group has because of
its explicit pan-Macedonian ambitions been declared illegal by
a Bulgarian court and some observers believe the new lobby organization
may have better chances to be recognized by the authorities.
-Kjell Engelbrekt

NO RESOLUTION BETWEEN GREECE AND MACEDONIA. Meetings between
Greece and the Republic of Macedonia opened on 28 September at
the United Nations in New York concerning the dispute over what
to call the newest Balkan republic. UN mediator Cyrus Vance is
to be present during these talks. AFP reports that Athens has
said no resolution can be achieved until after the 10 October
national elections in Greece. Meantime, Athens continues to oppose
the use of the word "Macedonia" in the Republic of Macedonia's
official name. While Greek officials have informed UN Secretary
General Boutros Boutros-Ghali that the balloting will have no
direct relationship to the negotiations, in fact, the fall of
the Mitsotakis government was in part a result of pressure from
hard-line nationalists concerning the naming issue. Thus, it
is likely that the Macedonian question will figure in the late
stages of the electioneering of all parties. -Duncan Perry

DEVELOPMENTS IN ALBANIA. According to Rilindja Demokratike on
28 September, Albania's Democratic Party continues to doubt the
validity of the petition to free Socialist Party leader Fatos
Nano. The Socialists claimed that 700,000 people signed the petition,
while the Democrats alleged fraudulent results. Rilindja Demokratike
also notes that Muharrem Sako, a former official in Albania's
Interior Ministry, has been arrested on charges of the abuse
of office. Meantime, the political battle between the Democrats
and the Socialists continues to gain momentum with no end in
sight. The Socialists are hopeful that Greece's Panhellenic Socialist
Movement (PASOK) will score an election victory on 10-October,
while Democrats, no doubt concerned about the return of Andreas
Papandreou, openly expressed support for Prime Minister Constantine
Mitsotakis and the New Democracy Party. The Socialist press also
devoted considerable attention to the election in Poland, while
the Democrats almost completely ignored developments there. -Robert
Austin

KRAVCHUK FORMS ECONOMIC REFORM COMMITTEE. Ukrainian President
Leonid Kravchuk issued a decree on 28 September forming a Coordinating
Committee on Bringing About Market Reforms and Surmounting the
Economic Crisis, Radio Ukraine reported. The committee has been
charged with coordinating the efforts of central and local organs
of state and executive power, banks, enterprises, and organs
of local self-government. Also on 28 September, Kravchuk began
the process of forming the new cabinet of ministers by appointing
five deputy prime ministers and three ministers. -Roman Solchanyk


LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT SPEAKS AT UN. On 28-September Algirdas Brazauskas
told the UN General Assembly that without effective assistance
former communist states might succumb to nostalgia for a "pseudo-socialist
past" that would be unacceptable to all of us, Reuters reports.
Brazauskas noted that this could be countered by a new "Marshall
Plan," especially since occasionally these countries perceive
isolationist tendencies from the most industrialized nations.
On 27 September he discussed cooperation with leaders of the
World Lithuanian Community and the US Lithuanian Community and
met with local Lithuanian emigres. On 29 September he will fly
to Los Angeles to participate in its "Lithuanian Days" from where
he will return to Lithuania. During his visit in New York he
had numerous meetings with leaders of many countries and UN General
Secretary Boutros Boutros-Ghali. -Saulius Girnius

BOMB EXPLODES BY US EMBASSY IN TALLINN. Early in the morning
of 28 September a bomb exploded outside the US embassy in Tallinn
breaking a satellite dish, a cable box, and many windows in the
neighborhood, but there were no injuries, BNS reports. There
was no warning and no one has assumed responsibility. The press
service of the Estonian Interior Ministry speculated that the
explosion was politically motivated since it occurred shortly
after a meeting of US President Bill Clinton with the Baltic
presidents. -Saulius Girnius

[As of 1200 CET] Compiled by Bess Brown and Kjell Engelbrekt





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