No. 215, 09 November 1993

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.



RUSSIA



YELTSIN SIGNS DRAFT CONSTITUTION. Russian President Boris Yeltsin
has signed the text of the new draft Russian constitution, Western
and Russian agencies reported on 8-November. "A few alterations"
have been made to the text which Yeltsin discussed with regional
leaders on 3 November, ITAR-TASS reported; but a presidential
aide said the only major change was the abolition of republican
citizenship so that people would be citizens of the Russian Federation
only. The draft will be published on 9 November and is due to
be put to a nationwide referendum on 12 December. It reportedly
gives the President considerable powers over the legislature,
and apparently includes a provision that the first parliament
(to be elected in December) will serve for only two years whilst
the President will serve his full term until 1996, thereby cancelling
a plan to hold early presidential elections in 1994. -Wendy Slater


GRACHEV IN CHINA. Capping off a busy week that began with the
adoption of a long-awaited military doctrine, Russia's increasingly
high-profile Defense Minister, Pavel Grachev, arrived in China
on 8 November to begin four days of talks with military and political
leaders. Reuters and AFP reported discussions are to focus on
military cooperation, including exchanges of military personnel,
and are expected to culminate in the signing of a cooperation
agreement between the two defense ministries. Arms sales will
reportedly not be on the agenda, a surprising development given
the volume of such trade between the two countries (Russian arms
sales to China in 1992 have been estimated at $1.2-billion) and
the priority that arms sales have been accorded in past meetings.
Indeed, according to AFP, a Japanese newspaper has reported that
the two sides will, in fact, sign a bilateral deal providing
for the joint development of a new Chinese jet fighter. Grachev
will reportedly also outline the contents of Russia's new military
doctrine to his Chinese hosts and will, in turn, be briefed by
them on recent talks between Chinese and American defense officials.
-Stephen Foye

CHERNOMYRDIN: MOSCOW WILL NOT OPPOSE EASTERN EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
WITH NATO OR EC. Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin,
on an official visit to Vienna, was quoted by AFP on 8-November
as saying that Russia would not prevent former Warsaw Pact nations
from joining NATO or the EC. "This is a sovereign issue for each
of these countries," Chernomyrdin said during a joint press conference
with Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky. Chernomyrdin's comments
appear to mark one more rhetorical shift in Moscow's uneven and
often contradictory efforts to deal diplomatically with the intention
of former Warsaw Pact states to win closer economic and military
integration with Western Europe. Chernomyrdin also said that
Russia hoped to become a "major economic partner" of the European
Community. Two bilateral economic agreements, on trade and civil
aviation, were signed with Austria during the visit. -Stephen
Foye

RUSSIA BACKTRACKS ON LIBYA SANCTIONS. Foreign Minister Andrei
Kozyrev clarified Russia's position on the question of tightening
United Nations Security Council sanctions against Libya according
to Ostankino television on 8 November. Kozyrev was quoted as
saying "we will even use the veto if we have to in order to block
this resolution, not because we are protecting terrorists, but
because this resolution must take into consideration Russia's
economic interests." Western and Russian press reports of the
previous few days had reported that Russia and the other members
of the UNSC had agreed to stiffen sanctions. The latest word
from Kozyrev, however, is that the Russian Federation insists
on additional wording in the resolution affirming that Libya
is expected to repay its debts to Russia. -Suzanne Crow

RUSSIAN MILITARY CONDUCTS STAFF EXERCISE. Krasnaya zvezda reported
on 9-November that the Russian military has completed a country-wide
command and staff exercise. According to accounts on Russian
TV on 5 November and in Krasnaya zvezda on 6-November, the exercise
was held over the period of 1-5 November, and was led by Defense
Minister Grachev. The exercise appears to have played out a large
war scenario in which Russian forces were mobilized, a defensive
battle was fought, and then counter-offensive and offensive operations
were conducted. Security Ministry and Interior Ministry staffs
also participated. While the exercise apparently involved all
of the conventional branches of the military, the reports indicate
that only staffs were involved and that no forces were moved
or engaged in the exercise. According to Grachev, the exercise
reflected the new doctrine recently approved by the Russian Security
Council. -John Lepingwell

COCOM TO BE REPLACED. According to The Financial Times and Reuters
of 8 November, the members of the Coordinating Committee for
Multilateral Export Control (Cocom) decided, at their 3 November
meeting in Oslo, to replace Cocom with a new body by the end
of 1993. The new organization is expected to include Russia,
with the possible proviso that it first establishes an effective
export control system. Cocom was established in 1951 to monitor
and restrict exports of high-technology goods of potential military
or strategic value to the former "Communist bloc" nations. The
new organization is expected to focus on controlling exports
to nations that sponsor or tolerate terrorism, and to those countries
which may illicitly be developing weapons of mass destruction.
-Keith Bush

BOOST FOR DEFENSE INDUSTRY. On 6 November, President Yeltsin
signed a decree "On the Stabilization of the Economic Situation
of Enterprises and Organizations of the Defense Industry and
on Measures for Securing State Defense Orders," ITAR-TASS reported
on 8-November. The decree provides for, inter alia, a review
by 1 December of state credits for conversion; the provision
of advance payments for defense items with long production cycles;
the establishment of adequate profitability norms; the setting
of wage rates for defense workers of up to 8 or 9 times the minimum
wage; apparent tax breaks for the defense industry; and the drawing
up by the end of the year of a long-term armaments program through
the year 2000. -Keith Bush

PRICE OF PRIVATIZATION VOUCHERS SOARS. The price of privatization
vouchers rose to 24,000 rubles on the Moscow and St. Petersburg
exchanges on 5-November, Reuters reported. This was roughly double
the price quoted on 30 October. The price had risen by 30% in
October-the first month in which the price of vouchers had risen
faster than the overall monthly rate of inflation. In real terms,
however, the value of vouchers that had a face value of 10,000
rubles on 1-October 1992 has fallen appreciably in the face of
inflation since then that is approaching 1000%. -Keith Bush

GAIDAR ON PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN 1996. First Deputy Prime
Minister Egor Gaidar said that Yeltsin's decision to cancel early
presidential elections next June was logical but may cost his
supporters "some votes" in the elections to the Federal Assembly,
Radio Rossii and "Novosti" reported on 8 November. Gaidar did
not exclude that he would put forward his candidacy at the next
presidential elections in June 1996 but said that he would not
seriously consider such a step before 1995. In an interview with
Moskovskii komsomolets on 6 November, Gaidar noted that at present
he regards the creation of a normal legal basis for reform as
his major task. He asserted that since 1990 Russia had suffered
from dual power and that the country now needs a single center
of power. -Alexander Rahr

MAYOR ISSUES DECREE REGULATING RESIDENCE PERMIT IN MOSCOW. Moscow
mayor Yurii Luzhkov issued a decree regulating the temporary
residence of non-Russian citizens in Moscow. An RFE/RL correspondent
in the Russian capital said that the decree goes into effect
on 15 November. The decree says citizens of former Soviet republics,
except Russia, must register at their place of temporary residence
in Moscow and for each day of their stay pay a fee equal to 10
% of Russia's minimum monthly wage. The decree also says that
those who violate these regulations will pay a fine and be deported
from Moscow. These provisions were included in a broader draft
decree on citizens' movement within Russia, prepared in October
by Luzhkov together with the ministries of security and internal
affairs. President Yeltsin refused to sign this decree, however,
after various human rights organizations and politicians condemned
the draft as violating human rights. -Vera Tolz

BASHKORTOSTAN PARLIAMENT REMAINS DEFIANT. A session of the Bashkortostan
parliament on 5-November decided to hold elections to the new
post of president of the republic on 12 December, the Russian
media reported. At the same time the parliament adopted a statement
addressed to Yeltsin on Bashkortostan's relations with the Russian
Federation, Nezavisimaya gazeta reported on 6 November. The lengthy
statement sharply criticized the decision to try and deprive
the republics of their sovereign status and protested strongly
against the desire to preserve the Russian Federation as a unitary
state. The parliament is scheduled to give final approval to
the new Bashkortostan constitution before the 12 December federal
elections. The draft, given its first reading on 4-October, describes
Bashkortostan as a sovereign republic with the right of secession
from the Russian Federation. -Ann Sheehy

THREE REPUBLICS TO DROP "SOVIET" AND "SOCIALIST" FROM THEIR TITLES.
Among the topics on the agenda of the North Ossetian parliament
which meets on 9 November is that the words "soviet" and "socialist"
be dropped from the republic's title, ITAR-TASS reported. The
chief of the presidential administration Sergei Filatov told
Interfax on 6-November that the only other two republics that
are still "soviet" and "socialist," namely Mordovia and Dagestan,
will also drop these designations shortly. It had been suggested
at a session of the commission on reworking the draft constitution
on 18 October that contact be made with these republics and that
they be asked to remove the offending words immediately, "otherwise
we will simply look stupid" (stenographic report of the session
carried by Nezavisimaya gazeta on 6 November). Ann Sheehy

TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA



TAJIKISTAN UPDATE. Ostankino TV reported on 8-November that in
the last few days several groups of armed Afghan citizens have
crossed the Afghan-Tajik border into Tajikistan and were stopped
and disarmed by Russian and Tajik border guards. The most recent
of these groups was reported to have included three generals.
The incursions into Tajikistan were attributed to fighting between
opposing Afghan groups rather than further attempts by Afghans
to help the Tajik opposition attack Tajik government forces.
-Bess Brown

CIS

BLACK SEA FLEET INTERVENES IN GEORGIA. 750-marines of the Black
Sea Fleet and 40-armored vehicles have been landed in the Georgian
coastal town of Poti, ITAR-TASS reported on 8 November. The marines
took control of transport centers, railways, highways and bridges.
A representative of the military command of the Black Sea Fleet
described the action as "humanitarian" in nature and told ITAR-TASS
that there had been no resistance, despite rumors that the marines
had suffered casualties. On the other hand, UNIAN reported on
8 November that the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet command
in Sevastopol had "confirmed its previous announcement" that
several marines had been wounded. -Bess Brown and Bohdan Nahaylo


CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE



PAWLAK PROPOSES "PRAGMATIC CORRECTION." In a workmanlike address
carried live by Polish TV, Premier Waldemar Pawlak presented
his government's program to the Sejm on 8 November. Attempting
to straddle the divide between postcommunist and Solidarity forces,
he opened by saying, "The history of Poland began neither four
nor fifty years ago." Pawlak pledged to continue the economic
reforms begun by his predecessors, but said the methods will
be more humane and the costs distributed more equitably. Rather
than present a general vision of Poland's economic transformation,
he merely catalogued the areas requiring more funding, stressing
education, culture, ecology and health. Blaming his predecessors'
"dogmatism" for the budget crisis and excessive "social costs,"
Pawlak pledged to make a "pragmatic correction" in economic policy.
Fighting unemployment is the new government's first priority;
the "destruction" of jobs will be penalized. Agriculture will
be protected at a level on par with Western market economies.
Privatization will continue but "without dogmatism." Pawlak scaled
back some election pledges, but nonetheless vowed to increase
pensions and budget-sector wages. Better tax enforcement and
a crack-down on the "gray sphere" will provide new revenues.
Poland's foreign policy aims, including entry into NATO and the
EC, remain constant, but local government reform may be halted.
In keeping with constitutional requirements, the Sejm is to vote
to confirm Pawlak and his cabinet on 10-November. -Louisa Vinton


POLISH JUSTICE MINISTER ON JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE. Wlodzimierz
Cimoszewicz, the new justice minister and deputy prime minister
for social questions, considers a legal clause permitting the
removal of judges who have "violated the principle of independence"
to be unconstitutional, a ministry spokesman announced on 6 November.
In a letter to the Constitutional Tribunal, Cimoszewicz wrote
that in a state based on the rule of law, judges appointed for
life can only be removed for "objective" reasons preventing the
performance of their job, such as health or age, or if they are
convicted of a crime by a court of law. The law in question was
designed to permit the removal of judges who had yielded to political
pressure and issued unjust rulings under communism. Although
supported by Cimoszewicz's predecessors, it has stirred controversy
in Polish legal circles and prompted a protest from the Civil
Rights Spokesman. Cimoszewicz was a communist party member from
1971-90. -Louisa Vinton

SLOVAK PRESIDENT REJECTS PROPOSED MINISTER. On 8 November Michal
Kovac appointed six of the seven ministers proposed by the new
governing coalition but rejected the nomination of Ivan Lexa
as privatization minister, TASR reports. Although Premier Vladimir
Meciar demanded that the seven candidates be approved en bloc,
the president said that according to the Constitution he could
not accept this demand. Kovac, who already this year has rejected
Lexa for the post of director of the Slovak Information Service
as well as that of privatization minister, stated that he has
"fundamental objections" to Lexa, who "does not meet the requirements
for this post." Kovac said he hopes Meciar will submit a new
proposal shortly. The six ministers approved include Jozef Prokes
and Marian Andel of the National Party and Sergej Kozlik and
Julius Toth of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia for the
four new posts of deputy premier, as well as Jaroslav Paska for
education and science minister and Jan Ducky for economy minister.
Social Democratic Party Deputy Chairman Pavol Mutafov said the
president's act was expected since Lexa is the son of former
deputy chairman of the Slovak communist cabinet, Vladimir Lexa,
who now works for the Harvard Privatization Fund in Slovakia.
Mutafov noted "it is an obvious conflict of interest. The son
cannot control privatization and the father work for the strongest
privatization fund . . . Democratic countries cannot accept these
things." -Sharon Fisher

MECIAR REPORTEDLY MEETS RUSSIAN PREMIER. Slovak Radio, with a
reference to TASR, reported on 8-November that Meciar met with
his Russian counterpart Viktor Chernomyrdin in Austria earlier
on that day. TASR reportedly obtained the information from "well-informed
sources." Slovak Radio says the meeting was apparently unscheduled
and that the two prime ministers exchanged information about
"the most topical problems" affecting both countries. -Jiri Pehe


IS A BALKAN CONFERENCE IN THE OFFING? INTERNATIONAL MEDIA REPORT
ON 9 NOVEMBER THAT MEDIATOR THORVALD STOLTENBERG RETURNS TO BOSNIA
TO TALK WITH MUSLIM AND CROAT LEADERS THERE. Negotiators have
suggested that a Balkan regional conference aimed at a "global
solution" to the Yugoslav crisis might be an option following
the Muslims' rejection of the Geneva peace plan but have added
that they are looking at this option simply because they have
run out of others. Croatian President Franjo Tudjman has ruled
out any such gathering that does not begin by recognizing Tito-era
republican borders, but Croatia in general, like Slovenia, has
argued that it is not a Balkan country and hence has no business
at a Balkan conference. Skepticism prevails in Macedonia as well,
where President Kiro Gligorov believes his country has no territorial
problems and hence has no need for such a conference, Borba reports
on 9 November. Skopje's Vecer quotes Bosnian Serb leader Radovan
Karadzic, however, as saying he sees no future for Macedonia
outside a Yugoslav confederation. Albanian President Sali Berisha
told Bulgarian TV on 6 November that a regional meeting may have
merit, but it would have to be extremely well prepared. -Patrick
Moore

BOSNIAN FIGHTING UPDATE. The New York Times on 9 November says
that Serb gunmen the previous day forcibly took two aides to
Sarajevo's Roman Catholic archbishop from UN armored cars, claiming
the men are "war criminals." Stoltenberg is reportedly personally
seeking the two men's release. Borba adds that, as part of the
mainly Muslim Bosnian army's current crackdown on the Croatian
militia in Sarajevo, the Croat military leadership there has
been arrested along with members of the King Tvrtko Brigade.
Finally, Reuters notes on 8-November that Bosnian army loyalists
and rebels following Bihac leader Fikret Abdic have fought each
other to a standstill and are too poorly armed to continue any
major fighting. -Patrick Moore

PAPOULIAS IN BELGRADE. On the first leg of a tour to all Balkan
countries except Macedonia and Turkey, Greek Foreign Minister
Karolos Papoulias spent 7 and 8-November in Belgrade. Before
his departure, he told international media that he and Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic have "very concerted stands" on
all vital issues and that "with joint efforts we can contribute
to peace in Bosnia and entire region." Milosevic told Serbian
TV that the talks had covered the UN sanctions against rump Yugoslavia
and that he anticipated Greece "will do everything it can to
help accomplish lifting them." Papoulias, who also met with Yugoslav
Premier Radoje Kontic, said Athens has not yet decided how to
"intervene" on Serbia's behalf after Greece assumes chairmanship
of the European Community on 1 January. Reuters quoted diplomats
in Belgrade as saying that Papoulias's stop in Belgrade confirmed
that the socialist administration led by Andreas Papandreou has
adopted an even more openly pro-Serbian position than Greece's
defeated conservative government. -Kjell Engelbrekt

SERBIAN MEDIA RULES NOT SIGNED BY MAJOR OPPOSITION PARTIES. Serbia's
ruling Socialist government and 30 opposition parties signed
a document on the rules of conduct of the media in the campaign
for parliamentary elections to be held on 19 December, Radio
Serbia reports on 8 November. All major opposition parties, however,
refused to sign the agreement, which calls for equal representation
of parties on every Serbian radio and television station. Socialist
spokesman Ivica Dacic described the agreement as a positive development,
but Democratic Party of Serbia representative Drasko Petrovic
assessed it as slightly worse than the agreement preceding the
1992 parliamentary and presidential elections. The new agreement
does not include the main opposition parties' demand that political
programs from two independent TV stations be carried by the second
channel of state-controlled Serbian TV. -Milan Andrejevich

ARE THE SLOVAKS NEXT ON ARKAN'S LIST? BORBA SAYS ON 9 NOVEMBER
THAT POSTERS FOR THE PARTY OF THE INTERNATIONALLY-WANTED WAR
CRIMINAL AND SERB ULTRA-NATIONALIST ZELJKO RAZNATOVIC "ARKAN"
HAVE BEEN PLASTERED ON A SLOVAK CHURCH IN STARA PAZOVA IN VOJVODINA.
Arkan committed crimes in Croatia, Bosnia, and the Sandzak, and
more recently has set up headquarters in Kosovo. One of his specialties
is using nationalist symbols and intimidation as a prelude to
killings and ethnic cleansing. Ethnic relations in the highly
mixed Vojvodina with its legacy of tolerance have been disturbed
largely only by outsiders, such as street gangs loyal to Milosevic
or by Arkan himself, while local Serbs traditionally regard themselves
as culturally superior to the "Balkan Serbs" of Serbia proper.
The Serbian military since 1991 has driven some Croats, Ukrainians,
Hungarians, and others out of Vojvodina and resettled Serbs from
Croatia and Bosnia in their place. - Patrick Moore

ANTALL'S REPLY ON HUNGARIAN RADIO AND TV. In a response dated
6 November to President Arpad Goncz's letter of 1 November, Premier
Jozsef Antall expressed his disagreement with Goncz's view that
Hungarian radio and television had become unable to perform their
basic tasks and provide an opportunity for Hungarian voters to
freely express their opinions. After deploring the rejection
by parliament of the government's law on the media, Antall said
he supports freedom of the press but was against the "internal
terror of certain political circles and journalists' cliques"
which sharply attack those with whom they disagree. The premier
will study the present situation of Hungarian radio and television
before taking the necessary steps, including filling the now
vacant presidencies of both media, MTI reports.--Alfred Reisch


MORE RESIGNATIONS FROM HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION PARTY. Peter Molnar,
a 29-year old lawyer and founding member of the Alliance of Young
Democrats, gave up his party vice chairman post and parliamentary
mandate on 5 November, quitting the AYD. Like party vice chairman
Gabor Fodor, who left last week, Molnar said the AYD is turning
from an open, liberal centrist party into a conservative rightist
one that uncritically speaks of a "danger from the left" and
no longer criticizes the government. On 8 November MTI announced
that Klara Ungar, a 35-year old economist and head of the Budapest
AYD faction, gave up her parliamentary mandate and called the
work of the party's parliamentary faction and presidium ineffective.
Parliamentary faction leader Laszlo Kover says the resignations
have strengthened rather than weakened the unity of the AYD leadership
and indicated that Ungar should leave the party as well.--Alfred
Reisch

CZECH PREMIER IN BUCHAREST. On 8 November Czech Premier Vaclav
Klaus held talks in Bucharest with his Romanian counterpart Nicolae
Vacaroiu. Radio Bucharest said that the two exchanged information
on economic reforms and broadening bilateral economic relations.
In a statement after the meeting, Vacaroiu praised the progress
of restructuring and privatization in the Czech economy. Klaus
told the press that his visit was brief but full of results.
The two sides signed agreements on the protection of investments
and the prevention of double taxation, as well as a protocol
on preparing the ground for future trade liberalization. Romania
promised to reimburse the Czech Republic for debts left over
from the communist era. Klaus also met President Ion Iliescu,
Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu and Chamber of Deputies Chairman
Adrian Nastase. -Dan Ionescu

BULGARIA'S BALLOONING BUDGET DEFICIT. New economic statistics
disclosed on 8-November suggest that the stabilization policies
of the Bulgarian government are failing. Following a meeting
of the cabinet, Deputy Finance Minister Dimitar Kostov told BTA
that the present budget is suffering from a 26% cash deficit
and that "decisive measures" will be needed to ensure the collection
of state revenues. While Kostov estimated that the annual inflation
rate will remain within the projected 65-68%, Finance Minister
Stoyan Aleksandrov warned that the economy could tip toward hyperinflation
if the situation is not promptly stabilized. On the same day
the National Bank for the second time in 10 days raised the prime
interest rate in order to decrease inflationary expectations.
The BNB is hoping that the current level, 52%, will be enough
to halt the depreciation of the lev, which has dropped by 24%
against the US dollar since the beginning of 1993. -Kjell Engelbrekt


CRIMEAN TATAR LEADER MURDERED. Radio Ukraine reported on 8 November
that Yurii Osmanov, leader of the National Movement of Crimean
Tatars, was found murdered on a street in Simferopol. Authorities
suspect that Osmanov may have been the victim of a robbery, although
political motives are also being considered. Osmanov was the
leader of a politically moderate Crimean Tatar organization that
worked together with the local authorities. Mustafa Dzhemilev,
head of the Mejlis, said despite political differences between
them, Osmanov's death is a major loss for the Crimean national
movement. -Roman Solchanyk

SHUSHKEVICH ON RUBLE ZONE. In an 8 November press conference
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, Stanislau Shushkevich,
said Belarus's relations with Russia are one of the most important
issues for the country, on par with adopting a new constitution,
Belinform reported. Shushkevich emphasized that it is important
for Belarus to remain in the ruble zone with Russia and to have
a customs union to help prevent higher duties which would raise
the price of goods exported to Russia. The government recommended
that parliament ratify the agreement on forming a monetary union
with Russia. The same day Premier Vyacheslau Kebich asked Henadz
Karpenka to take the post of vice-premier dealing with economic
reforms. -Ustina Markus

LITHUANIA SETS VISA PRICES. Baltic agencies announced that as
of 1 November the price of an ordinary visa for a CIS visitor
to Lithuania is $5 and for a transit visa $3, while a Lithuanian
visa costs $20 in the West. CIS citizens visiting a sick relative
or attending a funeral will not have to pay for a visa. BNS reported
on 3-November that the introduction of visas for CIS visitors
had already caused congestion at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border.
-Dzintra Bungs

LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT IN KAZAKHSTAN AND CHINA. On 7 November Lithuanian
President Algirdas Brazauskas met with his Kazakh counterpart
Nursultan Nazarbaev in Alma-Ata to discuss improving bilateral
relations, particularly concerning the economy. Nazarbaev expressed
interest in using the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda for trading
purposes, and the two leaders signed a treaty of mutual understanding
and cooperation. On 8 November Brazauskas arrived in Beijing,
where he met Chinese President Jiang Zemin to discuss economic
cooperation. Brazauskas is to stay in China one week, Xinhua
reports on 8-November. -Dzintra Bungs

RUSSIAN, LITHUANIAN LEADERS DISCUSS KALININGRAD, TROOPS. Meeting
in Nida on 6 November, Russian Deputy Premier Vladimir Shumeiko,
Lithuanian Premier Adolfas Slezevicius, and head of the Kalningrad
administration Yuri Matochkin discussed documents expected to
be signed on 15 and 16 November when Chernomyrdin visits Vilnius.
Interfax and BNS reported on 7 and 8 November that restrictions
on the passage of Russian citizens to Kaliningrad via Lithuania
are expected to be lifted and that freight could be transported
without customs inspections. Shumeiko said the pullout of Russian
troops from the Baltics is inevitable. Lithuanian Air Force Commander
Col. Zenonas Vegelevicius told Baltfax and BNS on 8 November
that Russian military pilots continue to violate Lithuanian airspace
and that this problem must be resolved at the government level
or via the Lithuanian and Russian delegations. -Dzintra Bungs


ESTONIA, LATVIA TO RESUME TALKS WITH RUSSIA. Baltic media reported
on 8-November that the next round of Latvian-Russian negotiations
primarily over the withdrawal of Russian troops from Latvia are
scheduled for 15-17 November in Jurmala, Latvia. Estonian and
Russian delegations are also scheduled to meet on 15-17 November
to discuss military, border, humanitarian, and economic issues.
-Dzintra Bungs

[As of 1200 CET] Compiled by Ann Sheehy and Sharon Fisher



THE RFE/RL DAILY REPORT IS PRODUCED BY THE RFE/RL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
(A DIVISION OF RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, INC.) with the
assistance of the RFE/RL News and Current Affairs Division (NCA).
The report is available by electronic mail via LISTSERV (RFERL-L@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU),
on the Sovset' computer bulletin board, by fax, and by postal
mail. For inquiries about specific news items, subscriptions,
or additional copies, please contact: in North America: Mr. Brian
Reed, RFE/RL, Inc., 1201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC-20036
Telephone: (202) 457-6912 or -6907; Fax: (202) 457-6992 or 828-8783;
Internet: RIDC@RFERL.ORG or Elsewhere: Ms. Helga Hofer, Publications
Department, RFE/RL Research Institute, Oettingenstrasse 67, 80538
Munich, Germany;.Telephone: (+49 89) 2102-2631 or -2624; Fax:
(+49 89) 2102-2648, Internet: PD@RFERL.ORG 1993, RFE/RL, Inc.
All rights reserved.