No. 194, 08 October 1993

RUSSIA



PREPARATION FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS UNDERWAY. President Yeltsin
issued a decree on 7 October stating that the new legislature,
to be elected in December, will have 450 seats, ITAR-TASS reported.
Deputies for half of the 450 seats will be elected by a simple
majority vote, while the rest will be chosen on a proportional
basis, with voters picking a party rather than a candidate. Earlier
draft legislation had called for the parliament with 400 seats.
The same day, the head of the Central Electoral Commission, Nikolai
Ryabov, told journalists that all legal parties would have equal
access to state media during the electoral campaign. Since the
state-run television firmly sides with Yeltsin, the opposition
fears that pro-Yeltsin parties will have privileged access to
the electronic media. Ryabov also told ITAR-TASS that eight parties
and organizations, banned after the weekend disturbances, have
been excluded fom the list of those which can take part in the
elections. Vera Tolz

YELTSIN SUSPENDS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT. On 7 October, Russian
television newscasts and agencies reported that Yeltsin has decreed
the suspension of the Constitutional Court. According to the
reports, the court's activities have brought Russia "to the verge
of a civil war"-a reference to the ruling by the court that Yeltsin's
21 September decree "On a Gradual Constitutional Reform" was
unconstitutional, as well as to the president's earlier attempt
to introduce rule by decree in March of this year. The decree
orders the activities of the Constitutional Court to be terminated
until a new parliament adopts a new constitution and elects a
new constitutional court. Julia Wishnevsky

YELTSIN'S DECREE ON APPOINTMENTS OF LOCAL EXECUTIVES. On 7 October,
President Yeltsin issued a decree to the effect that heads of
regional administrations (governors) would be appointed and dismissed
by the president, and not elected, ITAR-TASS reported. In late
1991, the Congress of People's Deputies gave Yeltsin special
powers to appoint the governors, despite the fact that their
popular elections had already been scheduled. Earlier this year,
the Congress had deprived Yeltsin of the power to appoint heads
of regional administrations, and in result several regional held
elections of govenors. Some of these elected govenors turned
against Yeltsin when he had disbanded the parliament. Vera Tolz


SOVIETS DEBATE THEIR FUTURE. Russian Television reported on 7
October that city and regional councils in Arkhangelsk, Krasnodar
and Saratov, among others, were debating whether to comply with
Yeltsin's demand that they should voluntarily disband. According
to AFP, the proposal is being resisted not only by municipal
leaders in St.-Petersburg but also by Yeltsin's close aide, Sergei
Shakrai, who reportedly threatened to resign if Yeltsin himself
disbanded the regional councils. Elizabeth Teague

CHAIRMAN OF KOMI SUPREME SOVIET AGAINST ITS SELF-DISSOLUTION.
The chairman of the Komi Supreme Soviet Yurii Spiridonov told
a meeting in Syktyvkar that he was against its self-dissolution,
ITAR-TASS reported on 7 October. He denied an Interfax report
that the presidium of the Supeme Soviet had discussed the matter.
It was up to the Supreme Soviet itself to decide, Spiridonov
said, but he would rather it was put to a referendum. The leaders
of the workers movement in the coal mining city of Vorkuta in
the Komi republic said, on the other hand, that they supported
the self-dissolution of the local soviets. According to Izvestiya
of 7 October, the standing commissions of the Marii-El parliament
will decide whether or not the question of self-dissolution should
be put on the parliament's agenda. Ann Sheehy

KHASBULATOV, RUTSKOI CHARGED WITH INCITING "MASS DISORDERS."
On 8 October ITAR-TASS reported that the new Russian Procurator
General, Aleksei Kazannikov has formally arrested and charged
Ruslan Khasbulatov, Aleksandr Rutskoi, Viktor Barannikov, Andrei
Dunaev, and Vladislav Achalov with "organizing mass disorders"
under Article 79 of the Russian criminal code. (General Albert
Makashov and others were charged earlier.) While those charged
were detained earlier, it was unclear what charges would be laid
against them, and it had been hinted that they could be charged
with treason. It appears that a decision has been made to file
lesser charges, and thereby circumvent a potential defense argument
that the defendants were acting constitutionally. On 7 October,
President Yeltsin issued a decree instructing Russia's Procurator
General, the police and the Ministry of Security to investigate
as promptly as possible the cases of people responsible for the
disturbances. John Lepingwell

YELTSIN HONORS MINISTERS. President Yeltsin has awarded Interior
Minister Viktor Erin with the country's highest order-the title
of Hero of the Russian Federation, ITAR-TASS reported on 7 October.
That title was also awarded to eight soldiers, four posthumously,
for suppressing the rebellion on 3-4-October. The heads of the
ministries of defense and security, Nikolai Golushko and Pavel
Grachev, respectively, were awarded, together with Deputy Defense
Minister Konstantin Kobets with the Order of Personal Courage.
Alexander Rahr

CIS

KOZYREV ON MAINTAINING CONQUESTS. In an interview with Izvestiya
on 8 October, Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev said that Russia
would strive to create effective peacekeeping forces as a means
of dealing with regional conflicts in the former Soviet Union
as well as in other parts of the world. Kozyrev said Russia was
particularly interested in using such forces in the "near abroad,"
highlighting the danger of "losing geopolitical positions that
took centuries to conquer." He said Russians shouldn't worry
about U.S. meddling in the area, but should be concerned about
interference from Asian countries, adding: "We have plenty of
neighbors in Asia who are prepared to send soldiers and weapons
into the former Soviet republics, even under the guise of peacekeeping
forces." Kozyrev's linkage of developing Russian peacekeeping
structures and maintaining spheres of influence does not bode
well for Russian relations with the near abroad. Suzanne Crow


KOZYREV ON "VITAL INTERESTS" IN THE CAUCASUS. In the same Izvestiya
interview, Kozyrev stated that Russia will insist that Abkhazia
abides in future by the terms of the Sochi ceasefiire agreement,
and that the Russian sanctions imposed on Abkhazia, which he
said had been only partially implemented, could be lifted only
after a peaceful solution had been found to the conflict. He
said that "Russia must be ready to conduct peacemaking operations
in Abkhazia," arguing that the Transcaucasus represents "a zone
of vital interest" to Russia, and that the dismemberment of Georgia
could set "a most dangerous precedent" and lead to that of Russia.
Liz Fuller

UKRAINE DENIES RUSSIAN WARHEAD CHARGES. The Ukrainian Defense
Ministry has rejected the new Russian charges concerning warhead
storage at the Pervomaysk ICBM base. According to a spokesman,
some of the warheads have been moved to other storage facilities
in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that US Assistant Secretary
of Defense Graham Allison visited Kiev on 7 October to initiate
a new US-Ukrainian military cooperation program. Allison noted
that the success of democratic forces and the end of instability
in Russia should prompt Ukraine to ratify the START-1 and non-proliferation
treaties. According to Allison, "A long period of dragging out
international obligations....will undermine the strengthening
of [Ukrainian] relations with the United States and Europe."
-John Lepingwell

A "DEAD HAND" OPTION FOR RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS? AN ARTICLE
PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES ON 8 OCTOBER, CITES BRUCE BLAIR,
A NUCLEAR WEAPONS EXPERT AT THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION AS CLAIMING
THAT THE SOVIET UNION DEVELOPED A COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM
OPTION THAT WOULD ALLOW NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO BE FIRED AUTOMATICALLY
UNDER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES. The system could be enabled by the
Russian military or political leadership if it appeared that
the leadership would not survive a nuclear strike. Normally the
system is designed to maintain strict centralized control. Blair
based his assertion on numerous interviews with Russian officers.
Other Western and Russian media have warned that during the riots
on 3 October the Russian Defense Ministry building was almost
unguarded and could have been overrun by pro-parliament forces.
Seizure of its nuclear weapons control center probably would
not have given the rebels control over nuclear weapons, however,
both because they would have lacked the knowledge to use the
system, and because control could have been transferred to alternative
command posts located outside of Moscow. John Lepingwell

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



20,000 GEORGIAN REFUGEES FACE DEATH FROM COLD. Up to 20,000 Georgians
who fled from Abkhazia eastwards over mountain passes to Svanetia
currently face death from cold, Georgian Deputy Prime Minister
Irina Sarishvili told Reuters on 6 October. In an appeal to the
UN Security Council made public on 6 October, Georgian parliament
chairman Eduard Shevardnadze called for Svaneti to be designated
a disaster area and for the international community to assist
in evacuating refugees, ITAR-TASS reported. The US has dispatched
a planeload of food and emergency medical supplies to Tbilisi,
where the Minister of the Economy told Reuters on 7 October that
bread riots could be imminent unless the West sends additional
aid. Liz Fuller

ABKHAZ UPDATE. UN Special Representative for Georgia Eduard Brunner
characterized as constructive and encouraging the talks in Geneva
on 6-7 October with Abkhaz representatives on a political settlement
of the Abkhaz conflict, according to Western agencies. Brunner
argued that Russia, which he said has "a legitimate interest"
in stability in the Caucasus, should be involved in future mediation.
The head of the Abkhaz delegation was quoted by ITAR-TASS as
affirming that there were no obstacles to direct negotiations
with Georgia. He also denied that Abkhazia had acquired any arms
from Russia, claiming that its weaponry had been purchased from
a Western country that he refused to name; he further claimed
that over 90 per cent of the troops who fought on the Abkhaz
side were ethnic Abkhaz. Abkhaz parliament chairman Vladislav
Ardzinba has appealed to the international community for aid
.and affirmed that the Abkhaz parliament will soon adopt a new
and democratic constitution that guarantees the human rights
and freedoms of all national groups in Abkhazia, ITAR-TASS reported.
Liz Fuller

FURTHER HARASSMENT OF OPPOSITION IN UZBEKISTAN. An Uzbek government
decree issued in March required that the country's political
parties and organizations reregister before 1 October. RFE/RL
has learned that the Birlik Movement attempted to meet the requirement,
despite having been warned that its application would not be
accepted because the government has deprived the movement of
an office and hence of an address which all organizations need
in order to register. When Birlik members tried to hand in the
application, officials refused to accept it so Birlik mailed
it in. The other major legal Uzbek opposition party, Erk, has
reportedly not attempted to reregister. The party held a congress
on 25 September 25; party activists told RFE/RL on 7 October
that their newly-elected General Secretary Samad Muradov has
been beaten up in Karshi. Bess Brown

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



IZETBEGOVIC SLAMS "POLITICAL VIVISECTION." Bosnian President
Alija Izetbegovic told the UN General Assembly on 7 October that
the Muslims found the Geneva peace plan unacceptable because
it does not reverse the effects of ethnic cleansing and allow
Muslim refugees to go home. The Muslims were now left with the
choice between "a just defensive war and an unjust peace." The
8 October New York Times adds that Izetbegovic wants to continue
negotiating, but within the framework of a broad settlement for
the entire Yugoslav area, not just for Bosnia alone. The paper
notes that international mediators are thinking along much the
same lines. The Bosnian president repeated his now familiar calls
for US and NATO involvement in his embattled republic, as well
as for the lifting of the arms embargo. Patrick Moore

TUDJMAN PROMISES TO INVESTIGATE ATROCITIES CHARGES. International
media reported on 7-October that UN officials, including special
human rights investigator and former Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz
Mazowiecki, charged Croatian troops in the Medak area near Gospic
with the systematic slaughter of at least 70 Serb civilians and
the thorough destruction of their property, livestock, and villages.
UNPROFOR civilian affairs chief Cedric Thornberry told the 8
October Los Angeles Times that he has "never seen anything like
it... There's nothing larger than a good-sized brick left." Croat
forces launched an offensive in the area on 8-9 September in
response to Serb shelling, but later withdrew following an agreement
that UN forces would occupy the villages in question. In response
to the UN charges of massacres of helpless civilians, including
an elderly blind woman, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman promised
a full investigation. The Defense and National Security Council
met in Zagreb and said that the inquiry should be conducted rapidly
and its "findings made public," AFP reported on 7 October. Meanwhile
in Mostar, other UN officials charged local Croat soldiers with
expelling over 500 Muslim civilians from the Croat part of the
city under brutal conditions, claiming that some young women
had disappeared entirely. Patrick Moore

CROATIAN UPDATE. The government is moving quickly to hold the
UN to the terms of Security Council Resolution 871 passed on
4 October. Vecernji list on 8-October reports that the authorities
want the east-west highway connecting Zagreb and Zupanja to be
reopened by the end of the month, and negotiations with rebel
Serbs on a cease-fire to be started and to be wrapped up in 8
days. Croatia's UN ambassador has also demanded that the world
body maintain its telecommunication links with Serb rebels via
the Croatian system and not via Belgrade. Meanwhile, Globus runs
a poll showing that most respondents back the recent austerity
package launched by Prime Minister Nikica Valentic, but that
few expect him to succeed in tackling inflation. Most also expect
the measures to lead to a fall in the already low standard of
living, and Vjesnik quotes union leaders as saying that industrial
action, including a general strike, might be possible. Patrick
Moore

NO CONFIDENCE DEBATE CONTINUES IN BELGRADE. Discussion on a no
confidence motion resumes on 8 October in the Serbian parliament.
Debate is expected to be lengthy as more than 100 deputies are
slated to take the floor. The Radicals accuse the Socialist government
of Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic of incompetence, economic mismanagement,
racketeering and war crimes. Responding to the charges, Sainovic
accused the SRS of deliberately disrupting the country to suit
Serbia's enemies. He told parliament the Radicals are "disrupting
the government at a time when Croatia is threatening to strike
against Serbs in Krajina ... which can only suit [Croatian President
Franjo] Tudjman's interests." SRS leader Vojislav Seselj told
a news conference that it is the Serbian government that had
betrayed all Serbs through its support of internationally-mediated
peace plans. Once nominal allies, the Radicals and Socialists
came into open conflict last week after Seselj pressed for the
no confidence motion. Vuk Draskovic, leader of the third largest
party, Serbian Renewal Movement, told reporters his party will
not side with the Radicals, adding: "This is a fight in the family.
We will have nothing to do with it." Even if the government survived
the no-confidence motion, parliament's work could be crippled
and this could result in early elections within six months. Radio
and Television Serbia carried the reports. Milan Andrejevich


COALITION AGREEMENT DRAFTED IN POLAND. The Democratic Left Alliance
(SLD) presented its two potential coalition partners, the Polish
Peasant Party (PSL) and the Union of Labor (UP), with a draft
coalition agreement on 7 October, PAP reports. The PSL and UP
are expected to decide whether to accept the SLD's proposed agreement
on 12 October. The agreement stipulates that the posts of prime
minister and Sejm speaker are the domain of the two largest parties
in the parliament. This clause has been interpreted to mean that
the SLD wants the post of Sejm speaker for one of its own leaders,
Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, in exchange for agreeing to accept PSL
chairman Waldemar Pawlak as prime minister. The PSL has reportedly
been pressing for control over both posts. The draft agreement
also proposes limiting to a minimum personnel changes in the
state administration; making the adoption of a new constitution
a first priority; and setting defense and foreign policy directions
in consultation with the president. The coalition's economic
program was relegated to a separate document, still to be drafted.
Economic experts from the three parties announced on 7 October
that remaining differences over privatization should not block
the formation of a coalition. Apparently preparing the ground
for a retreat from campaign spending pledges, SLD officials charged
that the condition of the state budget is worse than admitted
by the outgoing government. Louisa Vinton

CHRISTOPHER MEETS ZIELENIEC. US Secretary of State Warren Christopher
held talks with Czech Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec in Washington,
RFE/RL's Washington correspondent reports on 7 October. According
to a State Department official, the talks were "substantive."
Christopher reportedly welcomed Zieleniec's views on the security
situation in Europe and reiterated US resolve to help Central
and East European states integrate with the West. Zieleniec told
Christopher that the Czech Republic is not requesting immediate
full membership in NATO but said that this remains an objective.
He also urged an active Western policy to check the threat of
neocommunism in the region. The State Department says the US
has no position yet on expanding NATO membership to Eastern Europe
and will remain non-committal in bilateral discussions. Jan Obrman


R†HE IN PRAGUE. German Defense Minister Volker RŸhe arrived in
Prague for a two-day official visit, CTK reports on 7 October.
RŸhe held talks with President Vaclav Havel, Prime Minister Vaclav
Klaus, and First Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Vondra. In
an interview with Czech TV, RŸhe said that NATO "cannot remain
a closed society," and that the issue at hand was not to have
"new members join old NATO, but new members join new NATO." When
asked about Russian President Boris Yeltsin's recent letter concerning
NATO membership for Central European states, RŸhe stressed that
Russia is "not categorically opposed to an extension of NATO,
but that it wants to take part in the building of a new European
security system." Following his meeting with the German defense
minister, Klaus told journalists that the Czech Republic's joining
NATO could be considered a "long-term issue." A spokesman for
Havel said that the president had informed RŸhe about Czech interest
in joining NATO, but that Havel, at the same time, understands
that NATO has to accept new members gradually. Meanwhile, Slovakia
is reportedly concerned about RŸhe's recent statements on the
prospects for post-communist states wishing to join NATO. The
Slovak daily Narodna obroda quoted RŸhe as having said that while
he supports NATO membership for Poland, Hungary, and the Czech
Republic, "it will be necessary to closely follow developments
in Slovakia." Jan Obrman

MECIAR REMAINS MOST POPULAR IN SLOVAKIA AS APATHY GROWS. According
to a September poll of the Slovak Statistical Office, Premier
Vladimir Meciar is still the most popular politician in Slovakia,
with the trust of 22% of citizens, TASR reports on 7 October.
Next are President Michal Kovac with 17%, Party of the Democratic
Left Chairman Peter Weiss with 15%, Parliament Chairman Ivan
Gasparovic with 8% and Deputy Premier Roman Kovac with 6%. Trust
for most politicians fell from previous polls, while the percentage
of the population which does not find any politician trustworthy
soared to 47%, which is 9% more than in July. Support for political
parties showed a similar trend, as trust in most parties has
declined since July, Slovak media reported on 7 October. The
most popular party is still the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia,
with 15%, followed by the PDL with 12%, and the Slovak National
Party and the Christian Democratic Movement both with 7%. Meanwhile,
45% of the population does not sympathize with any party, up
5% from July. -Sharon Fisher

SLOVAK PREMIER VISITS BAVARIA. Vladimir Meciar was in Munich
on 7 October for a one-day visit, where he had discussions with
political and business leaders concerning increased cooperation
between Slovakia and Bavaria. Following talks with Meciar, Bavarian
Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber told journalists that he favors
the admission of the Central European countries into the EC and
NATO and said that "no country will receive preferential treatment
in this process." Sharon Fisher

HUNGARY POSTS FOREIGN TRADE DEFICIT. According to data published
by the Ministry of International Economic Relations on 6 October,
at the end of August Hungary's foreign trade deficit was about
$2.32-billion, MTI reports. Exports during the first eight months
stood at $5.24 billion, a 25% drop compared to the same period
last year. Imports were $7.56 billion, an increase of 2.1% compared
to the first eight months of 1992. Agricultural and food exports
fell the most, by 37.4%. There was a slight increase in the import
of consumer goods and food products. Edith Oltay

ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON TREATY WITH HUNGARY. In an interview
in the 7 October issue of the Hungarian-language paper Romaniai
Magyar Szo, Teodor Melescanu called Hungary's willingness to
discuss the inclusion of a border clause in the Romanian-Hungarian
state treaty "an important step forward." Romania, for its part,
was ready to accept the wording in the national minority clause
by which it would commit itself to respect internationally recognized
norms on the treatment of minorities. Melescacanu suggested that
the text of the treaty could be finalized and signed before Hungary's
next general elections to be held sometime between May and July
1994, and said Jeszenszky had assured him Hungary wanted the
same should the two sides agree on a mutually acceptable text.
Alfred Reisch

ROMANIA JOINS THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE. On 7-October Romania was
formally admitted as a full member to the Council of Europe.
The brief admission ceremony took place in Vienna, one day before
the Strasbourg-based organization began its first-ever summit
meeting. Romania first applied for membership in March 1990,
but doubts about its democratic progress and human rights record
delayed its admission for almost four years. Radio Bucharest
reported extensively on the ceremony, which included speeches
by the Council's Secretary General Catherine Lalumiere, Romanian
Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu and Austrian Foreign Minister
Alois Mock, who is currently President of the Council's Committee
of Ministers. Both Lalumiere and Mock stressed that the moment
represented the beginning, not the end of Romania's process of
adjustment to European standards and values. Romania will be
represented at the Vienna summit by President Ion Iliescu. Dan
Ionescu

ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR RECONFIRMED. A joint panel of
the Parliament's two houses recommended on 7 October that Virgil
Magureanu, Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service, be
confirmed in his position for a second term. Radio Bucharest
said that five of the committee's members voted in Magureanu's
favor, while one voted against and three abstained. A joint session
of the both houses will give a final decision on the appointment
next week. Magureanu, a rather controversial figure, was nominated
by President Ion Iliescu, and has acted as director since March
1990, when the service was created to replace the former communist
Securitate. Magureanu's political neutrality has been repeatedly
questioned by the democratic opposition. Dan Ionescu

NEW UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER. On 8 October the Ukrainian parliament
confirmed the appointment of a new defense minister nominated
by President Leonid Kravchuk. He is Lt. Gen. Vitalii Zaretsky,
the commander of the Odessa military district. Bohdan Nahaylo


ZLENKO MEETS CLINTON. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Anatolii Zlenko
met with President of the United States Bill Clinton in Washington
DC on 7 October, Ukrainian television reported. The two discussed
Ukrainian-American relations, particularly the expansion of economic
ties and technical cooperation. On 6 October Ukrainian television
reported that Zlenko met with Secretary of Trade Roland Brown
and Senator Joseph Biden. Discussions touched on the subjects
of trade, Ukrainian-American relations, problems of global security
and nuclear disarmament. Ustina Markus

ENERGY CRISIS BECOMING CRITICAL IN BELARUS. On 7 October Belinform
reported that the energy crisis in Belarus has reached a critical
level. Within a month and a half it is possible that enterprises
will begin to shut down because of fuel shortages. The fact that
Belarus is, for all practical purposes, out of the ruble zone,
has made it impossible for the country to purchase oil from Russia
because it does not have the rubles demanded by Moscow for payment.
The gas shortage has led to increased use of heavy oil. As a
result, Belarus's heavy oil reserves are decreasing by 5,000
tons daily and will be depleted within a month and a half. Only
43% of the gas needed to produce Belarus's energy is being received,
and the republic's debt for gas is 119 billion rubles. The director
of "Minskenergo," Yurii Nikitin, said that the country would
run out of oil before it could effectively join the ruble zone.
Therefore, in order to keep Belarusian enterprises running, it
was necessary to come to an agreement with Russia and Lithuania
over a system for fuel payments. Ustina Markus

RUSSIAN MINISTERS TURNING BLIND EYE TO "DNIESTER" INVOLVEMENT
IN PUTSCH? ALTHOUGH THE PARTICIPATION OF "DNIESTER" COMMANDOS
IN THE MOSCOW REBELLION HAS BEEN NOTED BY BORIS YELTSIN AND OTHER
SENIOR RUSSIAN OFFICIALS AND DOCUMENTED BY THE RUSSIAN MEDIA,
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT IS SHOWING NO SIGNS OF ALTERING ITS POLICY
TOWARDS MOLDOVA AND THE "DNIESTER REPUBLIC." Foreign Minister
Andrei Kozyrev told Radio Rossii on 4 October that the involvement
of Dniester and Abkhaz fighters is a matter that "has nothing
to do with the defense of the interests of those autonomous regions."
Those fighters were acting in their own name as "wild geese,"
he added. Minister of Internal Affairs Viktor Erin, at a news
conference on 7 October reported by ITAR-TASS, dismissed as mere
"rumors" the involvement of Dniester and ex-Baltic OMON fighters
in the rebellion. Moldovan President Mircea Snegur appealed to
Yeltsin on 22 September and 3 October strongly endorsing the
Russian president's actions and describing the "Dniester republic"
as their common adversary. It will be recalled that after the
1991 attempted coup in Moscow, Moldova, which supported the Russian
democratic forces, failed to persuade the Russian government
to drop its pro-communist "Dniester" client. Vladimir Socor

TWO FURTHER INCIDENTS IN LITHUANIAN MILITARY. Five members of
the Volunteer Home Guard Service in Kaunas have been arrested
for stealing 20 Kalashnikov automatic rifles to sell on the black
market, BNS reported on 7 October. Meanwhile Lietuvos rytas reported
that on 5 October guards at the Vilnius military school failed
to prevent an unauthorized truck from entering its facilities.
They called the police to prevent the taking away of large stocks
of aluminum warehoused there. It remains unclear who owns the
aluminum, but Major V. Mizgaitis' reported efforts to allow its
removal lend veracity to the frequent charges that some military
personnel are engaged in illegal "business" deals. Saulius Girnius


[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by Vera Tolz and Stan Markotich

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