No. 191, 05 October 1993

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.





RUSSIA



SITUATION IN MOSCOW. The White House continued to burn throughout
the night of 4-5 October. An overnight curfew was imposed in
Moscow and the city authorities said some 5,000 militiamen were
on duty. Sniper fire continued and shooting was reported from
districts in the vicinity of the parliament. Early in the morning
of 5 October, the headquarters of the ITAR-TASS news agency came
under fire. One person was reported killed and several were injured.
Outside Moscow the country was reported calm, though anti-Yeltsin
demonstrations were reported in St. Petersburg and some other
cities. -Elizabeth Teague

OPPOSITION LEADERS ARRESTED. The top leaders of the hard-line
opposition, Ruslan Khasbulatov, Aleksandr Rutskoi and General
Albert Makashov, surrendered after government forces stormed
the White House on 4 October; they were taken to the Ministry
of Security's Lefortovo Prison. Several Western TV stations broadcast
scenes of the arrest. Prior to their surrender, Khasbulatov and
Rutskoi had asked that Western ambassadors guarantee their safety;
the Belgian Embassy played a mediating role. Rutskoi told French
journalists shortly before his arrest that he had never used
his weapon in the fighting. Khasbulatov said that he had nothing
to do with the violent actions of White House supporters in Moscow
during the night of 3-4 October. -Alexander Rahr

CASUALTY FIGURES RELEASED. On 5 October ITAR-TASS reported that
according to the Main Medical Directorate of Moscow the total
casualties from 9-am on 3 October to 6 am on 5-October numbered
some 526 people. Of this number some 421 were hospitalized. Fifty-nine
people were reported to have died during this period. -John Lepingwell


CHERNOMYRDIN MEETS REPUBLICAN AND REGIONAL LEADERS. Russian Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin held a meeting with the heads of
administration of the regions and republican leaders in Moscow
on the afternoon of 4 October, ITAR-TASS reported. Chernomyrdin
said that he was going to ask Yeltsin to bring the meeting of
the Federation Council forward from 9 to 5 October. He said that
the draft agreement on the formation of the council and its statutes
were ready. The meeting adopted a joint statement on the political
situation in Russia fully supporting all the recent measures
taken by Yeltsin and calling on local authorities to carry out
all the president's and government's decree since 21-September
and ensure the uninterrupted functioning of industry, transport,
and communications. -Ann Sheehy

FUTURE OF FEDERATION COUNCIL TO BE RETHOUGHT? NIKOLAI MEDVEDEV,
HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR WORK WITH THE TERRITORIES IN YELTSIN'S
ADMINISTRATION, TOLD ITAR-TASS ON 5-OCTOBER THAT THE MEETING
OF THE FEDERATION COUNCIL RESCHEDULED FOR 5-OCTOBER HAD BEEN
POSTPONED. Yeltsin's press secretary Vyacheslav Kostikov told
ITAR-TASS in a telephone interview that this was because of the
new political situation. Kostikov stated that the role of the
Federation Council and its political fate needed to be rethought.
After all, he said, some subjects of the federation had supported
the putchisty. Clearly Yeltsin feels he no longer needs the regions
now in his battle with the parliament and is determined to put
them back in their place, but this may not be so easy. -Ann Sheehy


MEDVEDEV HOLDS SOME REGIONAL SOVIETS PARTLY TO BLAME. Medvedev
told ITAR-TASS that some of the krai and oblast soviets deserved
a large part of the blame for what happened in Moscow, since
their rejection of Yeltsin's decree of 21 September influenced
the attitude of Khasbulatov and Rutskoi, ITAR-TASS reported on
5 October. Medvedev said the soviets of Belgorod, Novosibirsk,
Chelyabinsk, Kemerovo, Tambov, Lipetsk, Saratov, and Bryansk
Oblasts should be disbanded and reelected. Medvedev said several
republican parliaments and in particular the Mordovian were also
guilty of rejecting Yeltsin's decree. Medvedev added that he
got the impression at the meeting of the heads of administration
of the regions with Chernomyrdin on 4 October that the regional
elites had not realized yet that the president's power had been
radically strengthened and that the regions and republics could
no longer be seen as playing the key role. -Ann Sheehy

YELTSIN'S FOES TO BE PROSECUTED, STEPANKOV SAYS. Russian Prosecutor-General
Valentin Stepankov appeared on the Russian TV news show "Vesti"
at 1730 on 4 October to assure the audience that all those involved
in violent resistence to the president would be brought to justice.
Stepankov himself sided with the parliament against Yeltsin up
to 21-September but changed sides on the eve of Yeltsin's decree
banning the parliament. -Julia Wishnevsky

MOSCOW CITY AND DISTRICT SOVIETS SUSPENDED. On 4 October President
Yeltsin issued a decree suspending the activities of the Moscow
City Soviet and a number of raion soviets in the city that had
come out against him, RFE/RL correspondents reported. The premises
of the soviets were sealed. The deputies reportedly did not resist
the action. Vera Tolz

OPPOSITION GROUPS SUSPENDED. Following the disturbances in Moscow,
the Russian government suspended the actitivities of a number
of extreme nationalist and Communist opposition groups, ITAR-TASS
reported on 4 October. Among the suspended groups are the National
Salvation Front, the Russian Communist Party, the Communist Youth
Organization (Komsomol) and the Officers' Union. Interviewed
by RFE/RL on 4 October, a leader of the Russian Komsomol said
he and other members of the organization would "continue working
underground." He did not elaborate. -Vera Tolz

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION SUSPENDS PUBLICATION OF OPPOSITION NEWSPAPERS.
The Ministry of Information issued a resolution closing down
newspapers published by "groups that have taken part in mass
disturbances and other illegal actions in the city of Moscow,"
ITAR-TASS reported on 4-October. The closures, according to the
resolution, are one of the measures taken in the city following
President Yeltsin's decree imposing a state of emergency in the
Russian capital. Among the newspapers whose publication is being
suspended are the pro-Communist and nationalist Pravda, Den and
Sovetskaya Rossiya. In an interview with RFE/RL the deputy chief
editor of Pravda questioned the legality of the action, saying
the newspaper is no longer an organ of the Communist Party but
is an independent newspaper, established by its staff members.
None of them took part in the disturbances in the Russian capital,
he said. -Vera Tolz

CENSORSHIP OF MOSCOW NEWSPAPERS INTRODUCED. An RFE/RL correspondent
reported on 4-October that a meeting of the Russian government
chaired by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin discussed the possibility
of introducing censorship of the newspapers published in Moscow
and not closed by the Ministry of Information. This was reported
to be a temporary measure during the state of emergency. The
legislation on a state of emergency permits such censorship.
According to the report, only military censors are currently
available in Russia to do the job. Later in the day Igor Chernyak
of Komsomolskaya pravda told RFE/RL that a censor had already
started work at his newspaper but his interference had been limited.
-Julia Wishnevsky

PEOPLE'S PARTY OF FREE RUSSIA CONDEMNS RUTSKOI. The People's
Party of Free Russia, set up by Aleksandr Rutskoi in 1991, has
denounced its leader, ITAR-TASS reported. The party had already
come out against Rutskoi when earlier in the year he became increasingly
close ideologically to the extreme nationalist position of the
National Salvation Front. The chaiman of the coordination council
of the Party, Vasilii Lipitsky, told RFE/RL later in the day
that the headquarters of the youth branch of the party in Moscow
had been searched. Lipitsky criticized the action, saying it
make him feel concerned over the future of democratic developments
in Russia.-Vera Tolz

EVENTS IN ST. PETERSBURG. On 4 October about 2,000 people held
a meeting in St.-Petersburg organized by the pro-Yeltsin Democratic
Russia movement, an RFE/RL correspondent reported. Meanwhile,
members of the opposition gathered in the city to protest the
detention of the controversial opposition St. Petersburg TV reporter
Aleksandr Nevzorov in suburban Zelenogorsk. Nevzorov and an unidentified
companion were reportedly detained for carrying weapons, but
were soon released. Later on 4 October some 1,000 demonstrators
opposed to Yeltsin mobbed the St.-Petersburg TV center, demanding
they be given the right to broadcast their views, Reuters reported.
OMON special forces guarding the building refused them access
and the unarmed demonstrators left after an hour and a half.
-Vera Tolz

BARANNIKOV DISCHARGED. Russian President Boris Yeltsin has discharged
former Security Minister Viktor Barannikov from the military,
ITAR-TASS reported on 4-October. Barannikov was fired from his
post as Security Minister in July allegedly because of the poor
performance of Russian border guards in the fighting on the Tajik-Afghan
border. During the current crisis Barannikov supported the parliamentary
side, and has reportedly been involved in organizing the defense
of the White House. -John Lepingwell

BAN ON TRANSACTIONS IN FOREIGN CASH. The Russian Central Bank
is to ban all transactions in foreign cash effective 1 January
1994, Reuters reported on 5-October, citing Interfax. Enterprises
are to hand in all foreign banknotes to banks by 31 December.
Transactions using hard-currency credit and charge cards and
other internationally accepted forms of dealing will still be
permitted. Permission to trade in foreign cash will be withheld
effective 1 November. Reuters also cited a television interview
with Finance Minister Boris Fedorov who said that Russian banks
held $11 billion in deposits from private citizens and enterprises.
Fedorov claimed that government reserves had doubled, and that
75-80% of rubles in circulation are now backed by hard currency.
-Keith Bush

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES RETAKE KHONI. Georgian troops retook
the western town of Khoni, occupied on 3 October by forces loyal
to ousted president Zviad Gamsakhurdia, during the morning of
4 October and now control the surrounding region, Reuters reported
quoting a Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman. In Warsaw, the
chief Georgian delegate to the CSCE conference made a dramatic
appeal to the West to sever diplomatic and economic relations
with Georgia should Gamsakhurdia's troops overthrow the Shevardnadze
leadership by force, according to an RFE/RL correspondent. Liz
Fuller

AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS. To the surprise of
no one, Azerbaijan Parliament Chairman Geidar Aliev won an estimated
90 per cent of the votes in the 3 October presidential election,
AFP reported. Voter turnout for the country as a whole was 96.8
per cent. In Aliev's home base of Nakhichevan, where ousted President
Abulfaz Elchibey has taken refuge and adherents of the Azerbaijan
Popular Front staged an abortive attempt to interrupt voting,
voter turnout was 96 per cent, of whom 99.1 per cent voted for
Aliev, an RFE/RL correspondent reported.--Liz Fuller

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



UNPROFOR TO STAY SIX MORE MONTHS IN CROATIA. The UN Security
Council voted on 4 October by 15-0 to approve Resolution 871
extending the mandate of the more than 20,000 peace-keepers in
the former Yugoslavia, including 12,600 in Croatia. Russia voted
for the measure it had earlier questioned because of implied
sanctions against Serbia if Belgrade continues to support Serb
rebels in Croatia. The Los Angeles Times on 5 October says that
the text uses a "complex, convoluted way" of making the point
to the Serbs, adding that US Ambassador Madeleine K. Albright
underscored the warning by telling the Council that "the Serbian
authorities must stop their interference in the internal affairs
of Croatia." Reuters comments that the Croats did not get as
tough a resolution as they had originally hoped for, but the
Croatian media have been upbeat in their coverage of it and Vjesnik
runs the headline: "Croatian demands accepted." It also quotes
UN Ambassador Mario Nobilo as calling 871 the most important
UN resolution on Croatia to date. -Patrick Moore

MORE FIGHTING BETWEEN MUSLIMS IN BIHAC POCKET. Borba of 5 October
reports that at least nine people have died in fighting between
forces loyal to Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic and those
supporting the break-away leader of the Cazina region, Fikret
Abdic. The first reported blood was spilled on 3 October when
Izetbegovic's troops stormed a radio station, and now both sides
blame each other for continued fighting and shelling. Abdic has
called for UNPROFOR to come to the region and for the involvement
of international negotiators, while Izetbegovic has sent him
an ultimatum demanding that Abdic surrender or risk the destruction
of government offices and his Agrokomerc business complex. Abdic
says that what is at stake is the local people's "free will to
live in peace in their own land." -Patrick Moore

SEPARATISTS CALL FOR BIG RALLIES IN KOSOVO. The Party for Albanian
National Unity (UNIKOMB) repeated a call for the unification
of "the ethnic Albanian territories, which are divided and conquered
by the Slavic enemies," Rilindja reports on 2 October. At a press
conference in Pristina, party leader Bajrush Behrami said that
the forms of protest should center on "peaceful, active resistance"
which means "massive protests and rallies." Rilindja says Behrami
stressed the growing cooperation among all Albanian parties,
"especially among those calling for the unity of (ethnic) Albanian
territory in their programs." The UNIKOMB is part of the Coordination
Council of the Albanian Political Parties in Ex-Yugoslavia, which
met in Pristina on 7-September and which aims at building a policy
consensus among them. The unity of all "ethnic Albanian territory,"
however, is the policy neither of the Coordination Council nor
of the largest party, the Democratic League of Kosovo, which
simply calls for the sovereignty of the self-proclaimed Republic
of Kosovo and the recognition of Albanians in Macedonia as a
"people of the state" instead of as an ethnic minority. -Fabian
Schmidt

POLISH POLITICAL UPDATE. Final results of the 19-September parliamentary
elections were published on 4 October, meaning that any complaints
about the results must be submitted by 11 October. Experts of
the Democratic Left Alliance, the Polish Peasant Party and the
Labor Union plan to have "the framework of a coalition program"
ready to present to President Lech Walesa by 7 October, PAP reported
on 4 October. The other parties that won parliamentary representation
reaffirmed their intent to remain in opposition. The Democratic
Union offered the liberals a merger. The Confederation for an
Independent Poland said that it would have to represent the interests
of the center-right parties not represented in parliament. Its
leader Leszek Moczulski forecasts that public discontent could
force new elections in Spring 1994. The Nonparty Reform Bloc
transformed itself into an association. Its patron Walesa urged
activists at a 4 October meeting to cooperate with other post-Solidarity
groups in the creation of a strong center-right force. Most of
the right-of-center parties that failed to win parliamentary
representation are still in disarray and preoccupied with internal
retribution. -Anna Sabbat-Swidlicka

POLES REACT TO NATO DISCUSSION. At a press conference in Warsaw
on 4 October, Foreign Minister Krzysztof Skubiszewski said that
Poland's objective of NATO membership is irreversible. "Poland
expects NATO's confirmation in January that Poland's admission
lies in its (NATO's) interest," he said. Referring to Russian
President Boris Yeltsin's recent letter to the principal NATO
allies, warning against over-hasty broadening of the alliance,
Skubiszewski expressed confidence in Yeltsin's commitment to
the principle of sovereignty of states. He said that NATO has
to adapt itself to the post-Cold War situation in Europe and
that Poland's geo-strategic position enables it to play a stabilizing
pro-reform role with regard to the East. He said any isolation
of Russia was out of the question but rejected any Russian security
guarantees for Poland since "such guarantees had not led to anything
positive in the past." -Anna Sabbat-Swidlicka

CZECH AND SLOVAK OFFICIALS EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR YELTSIN. Czech
President Vaclav Havel has, in several interviews on 4 October,
urged support for Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Havel said
that the crisis in Moscow was not the result of a power struggle,
but rather a fight between democracy and totalitarianism. In
an interview with CTK, Havel was quoted as saying that he is
"disappointed" with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Havel
said that Gorbachev's recent comments on the Russian crisis indicate
that he is linked with the opponents of democracy. Meanwhile
on 4-October TASR reported the reactions of several top Slovak
officials to the events in Russia, all of which were supportive
of President Yeltsin. Slovak President Michal Kovac said "since
the very beginning, we have been supporting democratic forces
concentrated around President Boris Yeltsin." He also said "the
conservative politicians are fully responsible for the looting,
violence and bloodshed in Moscow." Jan Obrman and Sharon Fisher


SLOVAKS, CZECHS SIGN ASSOCIATION AGREEMENTS WITH EC. Czech Foreign
Minister Jozef Zieleniec and Slovak Premier Vladimir Meciar were
in Luxembourg on 4 October for the signing of their respective
countries' Association Agreements with the EC. Meciar said, "by
signing this agreement, Slovakia expressed that it wants to become
a part of a stable and prosperous Europe, developing its market
economy and respecting human rights and civil liberties," TASR
reports. The agreements, which provide for the gradual opening
of the European market to Czech and Slovak products, replace
Czechoslovakia's agreement with the EC, which was signed in December
1991. The new agreements include articles on human rights, especially
for minorities, as well as on the respect for democracy and a
market economy. -Sharon Fisher

HUNGARIAN-SLOVAK MILITARY ACCORD. Hungarian Defense Minister
Lajos Fur and his Slovak counterpart Imrich Andrejcak signed
a bilateral cooperation accord between their respective ministries
on 4 October in Budapest. The accord provides for the mutual
exchange of information in case of larger troop movements, exchange
of military observers, and coordinated air defense and aviation
steps in border areas. The two ministers said they hoped the
agreement will strengthen mutual trust and friendship between
Hungary and Slovakia; they came out in support of Russia's President
Boris Yeltsin. Fur and Andrejcak also discussed the acquisition
of MiG-29 combat aircraft from Russia by their respective air
force and the possibility of training Hungarian pilots at Slovakia's
air force officers' school in Kosice, MTI reports. -Alfred Reisch


HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER TO GERMANY FOR TREATMENT. Prime Minister
Jozsef Antall told parliament on 4 October that he will be receiving
medical treatment in Cologne for approximately four weeks, MTI
reports. Antall is suffering from a curable lymph gland cancer,
and has been undergoing chemotherapy since 1990. Thus far, Antall's
illness has interfered little with his ability to carry out his
duties as prime minister. During Antall's absence, Interior Minister
Peter Boross will be substituting for the prime minister but
Antall will be consulted on major issues and remain in regular
touch with the government. -Edith Oltay

HUNGARIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTIES UNITE. On 3 October three
social democratic parties united and adopted the name Social
Democratic Party of Hungary (SDPH), MTI and Radio Budapest report.
The parties' leaderships voted for the unification in preparation
for the 1994 national elections. Personal rivalries have until
now prevented the emergence of a united social democratic party
with a program distinct from that of the former reform communists.
The SDPH elected Zoltan Kiraly as its chairman. Continuing the
process of democratization, joining Europe, and economic reforms
will form the basis of its program. -Edith Oltay

COUNCIL OF EUROPE MINISTERS APPROVE ROMANIA'S FULL MEMBERSHIP.
The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers approved Romania's
full membership on the Council of Europe on 4 October, an RFE/RL
correspondent and Radio Bucharest reported on 4-October. The
action clears the way for Romania's formal entry as the Council's
32nd member state on 7 October, at a ceremony to be held in Vienna.
President Ion Iliescu is expected to attend a Council summit
meeting there on 8 October. Council officials in Strasbourg told
an RFE/RL correspondent that the admission was approved with
one abstention-that of Hungary. In an interview with Radio Bucharest
Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu said Hungary had nonetheless
congratulated Romania on its admission. Budapest's abstention
allowed the consensus necessary for the membership of the new
state. -Michael Shafir

ROMANIA ADJUSTING FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP. National Defense Minister
Nicolae Spiroiu says Romania is adjusting its legislation on
all military activities so as to be ready for eventual membership
in the NATO alliance. Spiroiu spoke in parliament on 4 October,
an RFE/RL correspondent reports. He said Romania wanted to be
at European standards when the question of NATO membership becomes
reality. Leaders of the NATO alliance are to discuss the issue
of eventual prospective membership for East European countries
at their January summit, but NATO officials have already said
that an early expansion of NATO was unlikely. -Michael Shafir


UDF ENDS "THEORETICAL CONFERENCE." At a so-called "National Theoretical
Conference" of the Union of Democratic Forces, in Sofia on 2
and 3 October, leading UDF personalities emphasized the need
to maintain organizational unity though at the same time adapting
to the new political conditions in Bulgaria. In assessing the
current tactics of the alliance, Ventseslav Dimitrov defended
the current "dual character" of the UDF, in its capacity as a
coalition of independent parties and at the same time a popular
movement, rejecting the idea of transforming it into a regular
political party. Others said the coalition needs to seek out
new allies in Bulgarian society, especially among trade unions
sympathetic to the UDF. Demokratsiya carried the report on 4
and 5-October. -Kjell Engelbrekt

UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER RESIGNS. Ukraine's Minister of Defense,
Konstantin Morozov, resigned on 4 October because of political
conflicts within parliament, various agencies reported. Morozov
had been appointed defense minister by President Leonid Kravchuk
in September 1991 and was a strong supporter of Ukrainian independence.
His commitment to giving up the nuclear weapons on Ukrainian
territory alienated many nationalists, however, who see these
as the best deterrence against Russia. The pro-Russian hard-liners,
on the other hand, opposed him because of his refusal to cooperate
with the CIS in military affairs and his measures to Ukrainianize
the army. On 21 September parliament had voted no confidence
in the government reducing Morozov's position to Acting Minister
of Defense. Morozov, and five other key ministers, were due to
be confirmed in their posts on 5-October. In his letter of resignation
Morozov stated that his decision was based on the fear that his
nomination would cause a split within parliament and he did not
want the army dragged into "political games." Kravchuk accepted
his resignation and offered the post to deputy Defense Minister
Ivan Bizhan. -Ustina Markus

RUSSIAN TROOPS TO LEAVE BELARUS IN 1996. The press service of
the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced that the withdrawal
of Russian troops from the country should be completed in 1996
instead of 1998, when all nuclear weapons should be removed under
the Lisbon Protocol, Belarusian television reported on 1 October.
Russian Strategic Rocket Forces guard the nuclear weapons in
Belarus and are to be withdrawn once the weapons are removed.
Unlike Ukraine, Belarus has ratified both START-1 and the NPT
agreement, and has declared its intention to be nuclear free
within two years, rather than the seven allowed for by the Protocol.
Currently it is believed that there are some 35-40,000 Russian
servicemen in Belarus, although unofficial estimates say the
number is much higher. Many of these are not part of the rocket
forces, but troops who have ended up in the republic while being
withdrawn from Eastern Europe and cannot be taken further to
Russia because there is no housing for them there. The new timetable
for the withdrawal still has to be ratified by the Russian and
Belarusian parliaments. Ustina Markus

MOLDOVA SUPPORTS YELTSIN. On the evening of 3-October, as rebels
were advancing in Moscow, President Mircea Snegur cabled President
Yeltsin with the message that "the Moldovan leadership and people
strongly condemn the pro-communist and pro-imperial forces" working
against Yeltsin's reforms. According to Basa Press Snegur, in
what was his third official statement of support for Yeltsin
since 21 September, urged the Russian president to "a decisive
victory" and expressed the hope that Russia would continue along
the path of genuine democratic reforms. Snegur noted that "the
involvement of armed groups of the 'Dniester' communist-military
regime in the rebellion in Moscow demonstrates yet again the
close links between Russia's reactionary forces and the 'Dniester'
leaders." This last remark was omitted by Ostankino TV's coverage
of Snegur's message. Vladimir Socor

MORE ON "DNIESTER" FIGHTERS IN MOSCOW. Confirming reports of
"Dniester" Russians being involved in recent events in Moscow,
ITAR-TASS and Russian TV reported on 2 and 3 October that residents
of Tiraspol and Bendery participated in the unauthorized rally
in Moscow's Smolensk Square, which sparked the armed rebellion,
and attacked the police. Petr Filippov, a member of Yeltsin's
Presidential Council and director of its analytical center, told
Radio Mayak on 4-October that the police had "faced organized
bands . . . which had killed people in Moldova and Abkhazia."
Vladimir Socor

BALTIC PRESIDENTS SUPPORT YELTSIN. On 4 October Baltic Presidents
Lennart Meri (Estonia), Guntis Ulmanis (Latvia), and Algirdas
Brazauskas (Lithuania) issued a joint statement supporting Russian
President Boris Yeltsin in his struggle against the Russian parliament,
Radio Lithuania reports. It noted that the struggle in Moscow
was "a contest between a democratically elected president and
anti-democratic power structures." Alongside other world democracies,
the Baltic States supported Yeltsin's plans to hold free and
democratic elections in Russia and his plans for accelerating
the pace of reform. -Saulius Girnius

WORLD BANK AND EBRD MISSIONS IN ESTONIA. On 4 October Estonian
Prime Minister Mart Laar met with missions from the World Bank
and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Tallinn
to discuss the possibility of receiving credits for resolving
problems in rural Estonia, BNS reports. The missions noted that
the country's economic policies make it easier for Estonia to
obtain credits from non-government sources. World Bank assistance
could help Estonian banks to establish a credit resource worth
tens of millions of US dollars which could be used to provide
loans to the farm sector. The EBRD was asked to invest in the
privatization of a large textile plant in Narva and the Estonian
Shipping Co. as well as help update the country's infrastructure,
and modernize the ports and energy sector. -Saulius Girnius

[As of 1200 CET] Compiled by Bess Brown and Stan Markotich







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