No. 206, 26 October 1993

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.





RUSSIA



CHERNOMYRDIN NOT STANDING FOR ELECTION. Prime Minister Viktor
Chernomyrdin told St. Petersburg TV's "Itogi" program on 24 October
that he does not intend to run for parliament. He said that instead
of conducting a parliamentary campaign, as most of his deputies
are, he wants to dedicate himself to government affairs. The
Party of Russian Unity and Concord headed by Deputy Prime Minister
Sergei Shakhrai had suggested that Chernomyrdin run as the top
candidate on its electoral list. Meanwhile, the name of First
Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Shumeiko has been dropped from
the pro-Yeltsin bloc "Russia's Choice" list because Shumeiko
decided to run for a seat in the Federation Council. Democrats
hope that Shumeiko may become the speaker of the upper parliamentary
chamber. -Alexander Rahr

SHAKHRAI WANTS TO BECOME PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER. Shakhrai told
Obshchaya gazeta (no.14) that he intends to become the speaker
of the newly created State Duma should his party win the elections.
He also stated that the new parliament would have to form a new
government and hinted that he might be in the running for the
post of prime minister. Shakhrai went on to say that he believes
the new parliament would be of a temporary nature and be re-elected
after two years. -Alexander Rahr

POLTORANIN EXONERATED. On 22 October ITAR-TASS reported that
"all charges" brought against the head of the Federal Information
Center, Mikhail Poltoranin, have now been dropped. ITAR-TASS
quoted Poltoranin as saying that deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr
Shokhin and former Procurator-General Valentin Stepankov, both
of whom had accused Poltoranin of an attempt to sell army property
to a German firm, "would be held responsible for their lack of
moral conduct." -Julia Wishnevsky

CIVIC UNION ENTERS ELECTORAL RACE. The centrist Civic Union has
renamed itself the "Civic Union for Stability, Justice and Progress"
and has entered the parliamentary election campaign, Interfax
reported on 24 October. Arkadii Volsky heads the Civic Union's
list of parliamentary candidates. A few weeks ago, Volsky had
announced his departure from the Civic Union in protest over
Rutskoi's hard-line course. Other top candidates on the Civic
Union's list are Oleg Rumyantsev, the former Secretary of the
parliamentary Constitutional Commission; Vasilii Lipitsky, the
leader of the Free Russia Party of former Vice President Aleksandr
Rutskoi; and the singer Iosif Kobzon. -Alexander Rahr

YAVLINSKY FORMS COALITION. The electoral bloc "Republic" of economist
Grigorii Yavlinsky has issued its list of candidates for the
parliamentary elections, Interfax reported on 24 October. The
list, headed by Yavlinsky, includes such figures as former chief
inspector Yurii Boldyrev, Russian ambassador to the US Vladimir
Lukin, parliamentarian Viktor Sheinis, former head of the parliamentary
foreign affairs committee Evgenii Ambartsumov, First Deputy Foreign
Minister Anatolii Adamishin and economist Nikolai Petrakov. Only
a few candidates of the bloc are liberals. The bloc also offered
mandates to candidates of the Republican Party, Social Democratic
Party and the Christian Democratic Movement, all of which reportedly
have joined the "Republic" bloc. -Alexander Rahr

MASHCHITS, FEDOROV CAUTIOUS ON INTEGRATION. Vladimir Mashchits,
chairman of the Russian State Committee for Cooperation with
the CIS member-states, told a press conference in Moscow on 22
October that the Economic Union will not likely emerge for another
two years, various Russian sources reported. He suggested that
the delay in economic reform in the other member-states would
be the chief obstacle to setting up the Union. On the same day,
Finance Minister Boris Fedorov issued a press release warning
against hasty creation of a new ruble zone. He criticized "particular
leaders of the Russian Central Bank [attempting] to artificially
accelerate the process without taking into account Russia's real
interests and possibilities, as well as the degree of preparedness
of the [other] republics." -Erik Whitlock

SMIRNYAGIN'S FIVE PRINCIPLES FOR PRESERVING RUSSIA'S INTEGRITY.
Member of the Presidential Council Leonid Smirnyagin has drawn
up a "Declaration on the State Integrity of Russia," which he
will be submitting to President Yeltsin, ITAR-TASS reported on
25 October. The declaration states that five principles must
be incorporated in the constitution: a ban on secession; a veto
on a unilateral change in the status of a region; a ban on turning
the administrative frontiers of the subjects of the federation
into state frontiers; the supremacy of federal laws over regional;
and, finally, a ban on nondemocratic forms of rule in the subjects
of the federation. Smirnyagin said the status of the oblasts
and krais should be gradually raised to that of the republics.
He described as shortcomings of Russian federalism that it was
"organizationally possible" for the republics, but not the regions
to withhold federal taxes, and that the structures of the power
ministries were subordinate to the local parliaments in the republics
but to federal bodies in the regions. He also described as "nonsense"
claims that the republics should control their airspace. -Ann
Sheehy

DAGESTAN PARLIAMENT WILL NOT DISSOLVE ITSELF. The Dagestan parliament
has decided that a reform of representative power is necessary,
but it will not dissolve itself, ITAR-TASS reported on 25 October.
Although the idea of a presidency was rejected in a referendum
a year ago, a second referendum will be held on the issue in
December 1993. If the vote is in favor the president will be
elected in the first half of 1994 along with a new parliament.
The session unanimously came out against the appointment of a
representative of the Russian president in Dagestan. -Ann Sheehy


TUVA ADOPTS NEW CONSTITUTION. On 22 December the Tuvin parliament
decided that the republic should be known forthwith as Tyva and
adopted a new constitution that came into force the same day,
Interfax reported. The republic will have a 32-member working
parliament known as the Supreme Khural, and a supreme constitutional
body alone empowered to change the constitution known as the
Grand Khural. -Ann Sheehy

CHECHNYA WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS. A spokesman for Chechen
President Dzhokhar Dudaev told ITAR-TASS in Groznyi on 22 October
that Dudaev had empowered him to refute reports that Dudaev had
agreed to let Chechen citizens participate in the elections to
the Russian Federal Assembly. The spokesman reiterated that Chechnya
had been independent for two years and could not participate
in solving the internal problems of another state. In reply,
Nikolai Ryabov, Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission,
said that election facilities would be created to enable citizens
to vote in the elections and in the referendum on the constitution,
ITAR-TASS reported on 23 October. Ryabov termed non-participation
in the elections a serious mistake on Dudaev's part. -Ann Sheehy


UKRAINIANS IN RUSSIA HOLD FIRST CONGRESS. Russia's large but
scattered Ukrainian minority held its first congress in Moscow
on 23-24 October. Scores of delegates from the numerous new Ukrainian
societies in Russia decided at the congress to unite and form
the Association of Ukrainians in the Russian Federation. The
new organization intends to press for the satisfaction of the
basic cultural needs of the 4.4-million Ukrainians, which according
to the 1989 Soviet census live in Russia (the real figure is
estimated at between 6-to 10-million), seeking such basic facilities
as radio and television programs, newspapers, schools and cultural
centers. The association will also organize the Ukrainian minority
into a political force which will participate in elections and
ally itself with appropriate Russian democratic forces. The Congress
elected Oleksander Rudenko-Desnyak, the former editor of the
Moscow literary monthly, Druzhba Narodov, to head the new association.
-Bohdan Nahaylo

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT TROOPS RETAKE POTI. On 25 October Georgian
government troops pushed northwest to the Black Sea and retook
the port of Poti, occupied by Gamsakhurdia's forces on 2 October,
Western agencies reported. The commander of Russian forces in
Tbilisi was quoted by AFP as stating that a collective security
agreement between Georgia and the CIS had been finalized, removing
obstacles to the deployment of combined Russian, Armenian and
Azerbaijani forces to protect transport arteries. In his weekly
radio address, Georgian parliament chairman Eduard Shevardnadze
issued yet another ultimatum to Gamsakhurdia's forces to lay
down their arms or be destroyed. -Liz Fuller

RUSSIA CONDEMNS "ARMENIAN CEASEFIRE VIOLATION." Karabakh Armenian
forces advanced southwards and as of 25 October controlled a
40 km stretch of the Azerbaijani-Iranian frontier, Robert Kocharyan,
the chairman of Nagorno-Karabakh's Defense Committee (the acting
government) told AFP on 25 October. An Azerbaijani Ministry of
Defense spokesman told Reuters that Armenian forces were also
shelling the town of Nakhichevan. According to IRNA, the renewed
fighting has sparked off a new wave of some 4,000 Azerbaijani
refugees who have fled to northern Iran. In a statement carried
by ITAR-TASS, the Russian Foreign Ministry laid the blame for
the ceasefire violation squarely on the Karabakh Armenians, and
called on them to cease their offensive and withdraw their forces.
-Liz Fuller

RAFSANJANI IN KAZAKHSTAN. Iranian President Ali-Akbar Rafsanjani
and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbaev have signed a
total of nine bilateral agreements, mostly on economic issues,
it was announced at a joint press conference in Almaty on 25-October.
As summarized by Western agencies and ITAR-TASS, the agreements
provide for expanding trade between the two countries to $1 billion,
for expanding road, rail and sea links to allow for the transport
of Kazakh grain and coal to Iran, and for the construction of
a pipeline capable of exporting six million tons of Kazakh crude
oil. Other agreements covered banking, industry, customs and
excise, and travel. The two presidents also discussed the situation
in Bosnia, Tajikistan and Nagorno-Karabakh. -Liz Fuller

TURKMENISTAN TO FREE PRICES, PRIVATIZE. Turkmenistan plans to
free most prices (except for meat, bread, petrol, milk, and other
basic commodities) on 1 November to coincide with the introduction
of its own currency, deputy Prime Minister Boris Shikhmuradov
told Reuters on 25 October. Most state-owned firms in the agriculture,
retail, service and food sectors are to be privatized by 1 May,
1994 in accordance with a program endorsed by the IMF, but the
oil and gas sector will remain in state hands. -Liz Fuller

ANOTHER OPPOSITION MEMBER ARRESTED IN TAJIKISTAN. The deputy
chairperson of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, Oynikhon Bobonazarova,
has been arrested and accused of treason and membership in an
armed organization that aims to overthrow the government, ITAR-TASS
reported on 22 October. The exact number of opposition figures
arrested in recent months is not known, but it has been estimated
at several dozen. -Liz Fuller

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



ZLENKO, CHRISTOPHER SIGN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT. US Secretary of State
Warren Christopher and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Anatolii Zlenko
on 25 October signed an umbrella agreement that will clear the
way for the US to dispense up to $175 million in aid to "denuclearize"
Ukraine. Christopher also met with President Leonid Kravchuk,
who promised to submit the START-1 treaty, the Lisbon protocol,
and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty to parliament for ratification.
Kravchuk also clarified his position on the coverage of the Lisbon
protocol, agreeing that it includes all nuclear weapons based
in Ukraine. Previously, Kravchuk had been hinting that the SS-24
ICBMs might not be covered under the protocol or dismantled after
START-1 ratification. Christopher told a press conference after
the meeting that he had received clear assurances on the SS-24
issue, although the Ukrainian government had previously stated
that after START ratification further negotiations between the
signatories would be necessary to apportion the weapons reductions.
At the same press conference Zlenko suggested that financial
assistance and security guarantees are necessary for implementation
of the treaty. -John Lepingwell

UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS CAUTIOUS ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS. While
in Kiev, Christopher also met with Ukrainian parliamentarians.
Speaking after the meeting, Dmytro Pavlychko, chairman of the
foreign affairs committee, argued that it is currently impossible
for Ukraine to sign the NPT, and whether it can do so in the
future depends on the development of Russian policy towards Ukraine.
Pavlychko suggested that the SS-24s could be kept for up to twenty
years if necessary. Parliamentary speaker Ivan Plyushch noted
that Ukraine should be paid $5 billion for the uranium content
of the weapons, and suggested that the US, Russia, and Ukraine
negotiate a joint agreement on Ukraine's security. Only after
agreement on these issues, Plyushch noted, would a majority of
deputies support the treaties. -John Lepingwell

US OFFERS UKRAINE ADDITIONAL AID. Christopher also offered Ukraine
an economic aid package worth $155 million to help jump-start
its economic reforms. He signed an agreement that will provide
$27 million to improve safety conditions at the Chernobyl power
plant and four other nuclear power stations. Last week the Ukrainian
parliament voted to keep the Chernobyl plant operating after
this year, a move highly criticized by other nations. A further
$10 million was pledged to help fund a four-nation science center
to put Ukrainian nuclear weapons scientists to work on civilian
projects. Canada and Sweden are also participating, contributing
$2 and $1.5 million respectively. -Ustina Markus

SILAJDZIC NAMED BOSNIAN PRIME MINISTER. The rump presidency of
the embattled republic has asked Foreign Minister Haris Silajdzic,
a Muslim academic, to form a new government. President Alija
Izetbegovic fired the last prime minister, a Croat, in August.
Silajdzic told Radio Sarajevo on 25 October that his first priority
will be to secure adequate supplies for the capital for the winter.
Silajdzic is well known abroad but has been criticized at home
for spending too much time outside Bosnia. Vjesnik of 26 October
says that Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic wants a meeting
with Silajdzic in connection with the latter's letter of protest
over the meeting between Bosnian Croat leader Mate Boban and
Bihac pocket leader Fikret Abdic in Zagreb on 21 October. At
that session Boban effectively recognized Abdic's rebel government,
Der Standard reported on 22 October. -Patrick Moore

CROAT OPPOSITION POLITICIAN EVICTED FROM APARTMENT. Borba and
Vjesnik of 26 October report on the raid in Split by sixteen
uniformed Croatian soldiers and police on the apartment of Mira
Ljubic-Lorger, the president of the strong regional party Dalmatian
Action (DA). She and her two children have to evacuate the premises,
which the Croatian army says are its property, having formerly
belonged to the Yugoslav military. Her husband was among eleven
DA leaders previously arrested by the police for allegedly possessing
illegal weapons and for "terrorism." Similar charges have been
used by the authorities against political enemies on the far
Right, but now a mainstream regional party has been singled out
for similar treatment. President Franjo Tudjman has effectively
called Croatia's regional parties opposed to his centralized
rule enemies of the state. -Patrick Moore

LAST MINUTE CONFUSION OVER PAWLAK'S CABINET. After weeks of negotiations
with leaders of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), Poland's
Prime Minister designate, Polish Peasant Party (PSL) leader Waldemar
Pawlak, presented a list of proposed government appointments
for approval by President Lech Walesa on 25 October. PAP reported
that this list contained last-minute alterations that had not
been consulted with the SLD; in particular, it named a PSL member
to be privatization minister whereas that post had been reserved
for the SLD. While last-minute negotiations between the coalition
partners were under way, Walesa's spokesman announced that the
president had approved the list and would swear in the new ministers
on 26 October. Late in the evening, Pawlak sent Walesa a new
list that included the SLD's candidate for the privatization
ministry. Each of the three deputy premiers will simultaneously
be in charge of his own ministry: Marek Borowski will supervise
the economic ministries and head the finance ministry; Wlodzimierz
Cimoszewicz will be justice minister and supervise the "social"
ministries; and Aleksander Luczak will be education minister
and supervise the "presidential ministries" and the public administration.
Walesa is expected to swear in the new government at noon today,
although a spokesman indicated early on 26-October that the president
objects to at least one of Pawlak's ministerial choices. -Anna
Sabbat-Swidlicka

POLISH COALITION SETS RULES OF COOPERATION. Perhaps in order
to prevent the power struggle between the postcommunist coalition
partners from causing future disruptions, the leaders of the
two parties drew up a four-point document entitled "Principles
of procedure for decision making by the government headed by
Waldemar Pawlak." As quoted by PAP on 25-October, this reaffirmed
the principle of the coalition agreement that decisions are made
jointly by the leaders of the two parties and the two parliamentary
caucuses. Proposals concerning "strategic political, economic
and personnel decisions" are to be presented to the two parliamentary
caucuses before they become final. Appointments to top positions
in all the ministries will be made by the prime minister in consultation
with the relevant deputy premier as well as with the chairman
of the party caucus which is not in charge of the ministry. Finally,
local government appointments are to be preceded by consultations
with the two parliamentary caucus leaders. The point of including
caucus leaders in the decision-making process is to ensure that
Aleksander Kwasniewski, chairman of the Social Democracy of the
Polish Republic and SLD caucus leader, recently dubbed by Gazeta
Wyborcza "the prime minister without portfolio," is guaranteed
a say in the government. -Anna Sabbat-Swidlicka

ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION. In separate
debates on 25-October, the two houses of Romania's parliament
rejected a no-confidence motion in the minority left-wing cabinet
of Nicolae Vacaroiu for procedural reasons. The vote in the Senate
was 66 to 8 with three abstentions. A group of 37 Senators from
the opposition refused to cast their ballots, Radio Bucharest
reports. The vote in the Chamber of Deputies, the parliament's
lower house, was 155-to 128. Senator Vasile Vacaru from the ruling
Party of Social Democracy described the motion as unconstitutional;
he added that if the motion had passed, it would have created
a dangerous precedent. Senator Valentin Gabrielescu from the
opposition National Peasant Party Christian Democratic said that
the motion had been intended to force the government to "return
to legality." The opposition argued that Vacaroiu should be replaced
because he had appointed four ministers last August without parliament's
approval. This was the third no-confidence motion against Vacaroiu's
cabinet in a year. -Dan Ionescu

DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES IN BUCHAREST. On 25-October US Assistant
Secretary of State Stephen Oxman held talks in Bucharest with
President Ion Iliescu, Premier Nicolae Vacaroiu, Foreign Minister
Teodor Melescanu and other senior officials. Oxman, who is touring
several South-East European countries, signaled US support for
Romania's reform process. He further pledged that the US will
lobby international lenders to help Romania. Rompres said that
Oxman linked this goodwill to Romania's support for the UN economic
sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro. In a separate development,
the premier of the rump Yugoslav federation Radoje Kontic began
a two-day visit to Romania on 25 October. Vacaroiu promised Kontic
humanitarian aid this winter. Also on 25 October, Swiss foreign
minister Flavio Cotti ended a two-day visit to Romania, during
which the two countries signed agreements on promoting and protecting
investments, as well as on avoiding double taxation. -Dan Ionescu


ROMANIAN ENVOY TO MOLDOVA SPEAKS OF UNIFICATION. In a speech
in Chisinau marking Romanian Army Day, Romania's ambassador to
Moldova, Marian Enache, evoked the Army's historic mission "to
guarantee that the Romanian people should live within the fullness
of its borders" and spoke of that people's aspiration "to rejoin
one another within the ancestral borders as a national organism,"
Radio Bucharest reported on 25 October. Enache's predecessor,
Ion Bistreanu, was recalled earlier this year at Moldova's request
for making similar pro-unification statements but has since been
appointed ambassador to Ukraine. -Vladimir Socor

MOLDOVAN LEADERS INCH TOWARD FEDERATION? NICOLAE ANDRONIC, CHAIRMAN
OF THE MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT'S COMMISSION FOR LEGAL AFFAIRS AND
CHISINAU'S CHIEF DELEGATE TO THE TALKS WITH TIRASPOL, TOLD IZVESTIYA
ON 19 OCTOBER AND KISHINEVSKIE NOVOSTI ON 23 OCTOBER THAT "AN
AUTONOMOUS FORMATION" IN TRANSDNIESTER IS "ACCEPTABLE" AND POINTED
TO THE MOLDOVAN SOCIAL-DEMOCRAT PARTY'S PROPOSALS FOR A NEW CONSTITUTION
THAT "WOULD NOT RULE OUT A FEDERAL STRUCTURE" FOR MOLDOVA, SUBJECT
TO APPROVAL BY REFERENDUM. Andronic is close to the Social Democrats,
who dominate President Mircea Snegur's group of advisers. Also
on 23 October, Tudor Olaru, Vice-Chairman of the Agrarian Party,
which is Moldova's largest by far, told Kishinevskie Novosti
that the Transdniester ought to be granted "economic independence
and local self-government" and urged that "we should not be afraid
of words" such as "federation." In a televised address on 15
October, Snegur had offered the Transdniester a "special legal
status . . . reflecting its specific characteristics and development."
Moldovan leaders have lately ruled out a "confederation" (which
the "Dniester republic" demands) without rejecting suggestions
of a "federation." -Vladimir Socor

ZHIVKOV RIDICULES EMBEZZLEMENT CHARGE. In a declaration sent
to key state agencies and the media, former Bulgarian President
and communist party chief Todor Zhivkov argues that the embezzlement
charges against him are both unfounded and unconstitutional.
In the declaration, circulated by BTA on 25 October but dated
two days earlier, Zhivkov says a comparison between state spending
on top government officials today and when he was head of state
would show that abuse of public funds is now greater. In 1992
the ex-president was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for
having distributed consumer goods worth 21.5 million leva (then
$24 million) among his family and closest supporters, and the
prison term may be upheld by the Supreme Court this week. Zhivkov
also says the trial is a violation of the constitution which
restricts the possibilities to press charges against a former
head of state. Defiantly, he states toward the end of the text
that "it is not important whether 82-year-old Todor Zhivkov will
end his days as a criminal after a predetermined political farce
strung out for almost as long as a five-year plan. I can live
with my own conscience, and I am also ready to answer openly
to the Bulgarian people." -Kjell Engelbrekt

SLOVAK CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS HOLD PARTY CONGRESS. The sixth congress
of the Christian Democratic Movement was held in Ruzomberok on
23-24 October, TASR reports. Jan Carnogursky, who was reelected
CDM chairman on 24 October, said that although his party is willing
to meet and join with other political parties, "it would be a
waste of time to compromise with [Meciar]," since he "evokes
international criticism of Slovakia with his statements and his
policies." In his address to the congress, President Michal Kovac
praised the CDM, saying he believes "Christian notions will help
accelerate the overall revival of Slovakia." Kovac added that
"he does not favor any political party, but that he favors all
worthwhile and constructive ideas." The CDM, which was established
in February 1990, has 18 seats in the 150-member parliament.
-Sharon Fisher

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER IN PRAGUE. On 25-October, Hikmet Cetin,
the Foreign Minister of Turkey, held talks in Prague with Czech
President Vaclav Havel, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, and Foreign
Minister Josef Zieleniec. At a press conference after his meeting
with Zieleniec, Cetin said that Turkey wants to expand its economic,
political, and military cooperation with the Czech Republic and
supports the country's efforts to integrate with European structures,
including NATO. Cetin told reporters that Turkey does not believe
European structures are "an exclusive club for the privileged."
He said the Czech Republic has every right to participate in
resolving European affairs. In his opinion, close cooperation
between all European nations is the best guarantee for strengthening
the young democracies of Eastern Europe. -Jiri Pehe

HUNGARIAN RADIO PROGRAM SUSPENDED. On 25 October the deputy chairman
of Hungarian Radio Laszlo Csucs suspended the radio program "Morning
Press Survey" on the ground that it had violated criteria of
objectivity in its selection of articles from the daily press,
MTI reports. According to Csucs, the program effectively advertised
some dailies by regularly summarizing their articles while ignoring
others. Csucs found it particularly objectionable that on 25
October the program cited in detail an article by former Hungarian
Television chairman Elemer Hankiss in which Hankiss criticized
the television's current leadership. Edith Oltay

LITHUANIAN, LATVIAN LEADERS DISCUSS OIL TERMINAL. Among the topics
of discussion at a meeting of Latvian and Lithuanian prime ministers
and other officials in the northern Lithuanian town of Birzai
were the sea boundaries between Latvia and Lithuania and Lithuania's
plans to construct an oil terminal in Butinge. Lithuanian prime
minister Adolfas Slezevicius invited Latvia to join in the project.
The project is supported by the EBRD, but Latvian leaders hesitated
to endorse it because of expected environmental damage and disruption
to Latvia; Butinge is located very close to the Latvian-Lithuanian
border. The two sides also discussed sea borders, but no agreements
were reached, BNS reported on 21 October. -Dzintra Bungs

TWO NEW MINISTERS IN LITHUANIA. President Algirdas Brazauskas
on 25 October appointed Linas Linkevicius, 32, as Defense Minister
and Laurinas Stankevicius, 58, as Social Welfare Minister. Linkevicius,
an engineer, has served as a Seimas deputy of the ruling Lithuanian
Democratic Labor Party; he replaces Audrius Butkevicius. Stankevicius
is a professional economist who worked for many years in the
finance ministry; he was also deputy head of the Lithuanian mission
in Moscow. Stankevicius replaces Teodoras Medaiskis, Baltic media
report. -Dzintra Bungs

ESTONIAN TO HEAD NARVA CITY COUNCIL. Anatoli Paal, an Estonian,
was elected chairman of the city council of Narva, where the
population is predominantly Russian. Paal, who replaces Vladimir
Mizhui, is director of the local Baltic Electric Station. Elected
as deputy chairmen were Nikolai Kulikov of the Democratic Labor
Party and Valerii Lyssenko of the political force associated
with the previous city council, the RFE/RL Estonian Service learned
on 25 October. -Dzintra Bungs

[As of 1200 CET]

Compiled by John Lepingwell and Louisa Vinton







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