No. 184, 27 September 1994

                              RUSSIA

YELTSIN MEETS CLINTON, ADDRESSES UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY. During his
visit to the United States President Boris Yeltsin discussed
economic cooperation with President Bill Clinton and addressed the
UN General Assembly on 26 September. In his speech he urged there
should be no more nuclear weapons in the world (see following
item). He also suggested the total restructuring of international
mechanisms, aimed at putting an end to the heritage of a bipolar
world that had disappeared: new structures, Yeltsin said, should be
created under the auspices of the UN. The Russian leader also
touched on his country's "national interests" (presumably referring
to other parts of the former Soviet Union) and said there should be
no double standards in respect of human rights. Yeltsin's address
was broadcast live on Russian television. He was the third Russian
leader to have addressed the UN, after Nikita Khrushchev and
Mikhail Gorbachev. ~ Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.

YELTSIN'S UN ARMS PROPOSALS. Yeltsin proposed five specific new
security measures in his address to the UN General Assembly. He
first called for the signing in 1995 of a treaty banning all
nuclear weapons tests plus further unspecified cuts in American and
Russian strategic nuclear weapons. He urged an "indefinite and
unconditional extension" of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
coupled with more precise guarantees of the safety of nonnuclear
states. His third proposal was for the five declared nuclear
weapons states to sign a treaty ending the manufacture of nuclear
weapons material, refrain from recycling fissionable material into
new weapons, and reduce their nuclear delivery systems. Next, he
suggested that the UN should coordinate the growing number of
regional security systems. Finally, the Russian president called
for a UN conference in 1996 on international cooperation in defense
conversion. The initial American reaction was mixed and muted.
Reuters quoted Madeleine Albright, the US ambassador to the UN, as
calling his proposals "creative and intriguing" but adding that
they required more study. An unnamed US defense official suggested
that many of Yeltsin's proposals were premature. ~ Doug Clarke,
RFE/RL Inc.

YELTSIN AT UN ON CIS AFFAIRS. Addressing the UN General Assembly,
President Yeltsin asserted that the CIS states constituted
"Russia's foreign-policy priority," as "Russia's ties with them
exceed those of mere neighborliness. This is rather a blood
relationship" (phrases implying still greater closeness than "the
near abroad"). As if speaking on their collective behalf and in
effect preempting the other heads of CIS states, who are also due
to address the Assembly, Yeltsin spoke of "the growing striving
toward integration among them, and not only in words but in fact."
Nevertheless he went on to chastise unspecified "attempts to play
on the contradictions among them." Repeatedly using the term "the
former Union's space" (without the word "Soviet") as if it were a
geopolitical unit, Yeltsin claimed that "the main burden of
peacemaking [there] rests on the Russian Federation's shoulders."
He claimed credit for Russian peacemaking efforts in Moldova,
Georgia, Karabakh, and Tajikistan, without mentioning the role of
Russian armed forces in supporting clients there and in shaping
political outcomes advancing Russian geopolitical interests. Mostly
couched in generalities and essentially seeking legitimacy for a
special Russian role in the CIS, the speech appears to set the
stage for specific Russian proposals on regional security to be
submitted to the session and also, Russian officials have implied,
in private discussions with the UN secretary-general and the US
president. ~ Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL Inc.

POLL FINDINGS ON MOST INFLUENTIAL RUSSIAN POLITICIANS. An opinion
poll conducted among a large group of experts, political
scientists, and commentators by the Public Opinion research
center--reported on 25 September by the Independent Russian
Television news program "Itogi" and on the following day by
ITAR-TASS--found the following to be the ten most influential
Russian politicians, after Yeltsin. They were (in descending
order): (1) Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin; (2) the speaker of
the State Duma, Ivan Rybkin; (3) First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg
Soskovets; (4) the speaker of the Council of the Federation,
Vladimir Shumeiko; (5) the head of Yeltsin's bodyguard, Aleksandr
Korzhakov; (6) Yeltsin's chief aide, Viktor Ilyushin; (7) the head
of the Presidential Administration, Sergei Filatov; (8) Yeltsin's
national security adviser, Yurii Baturin; (9) the leader of
Russia's Democratic Choice, Egor Gaidar; and (10) the head of the
Yabloko parliamentary faction, the liberal economist Grigorii
Yavlinsky. Only Yavlinsky could be considered totally independent
of the president; Gaidar may be termed "partially independent." The
influence of the remaining politicians depends almost entirely on
Yeltsin's favor. (According to another survey, cited in the same
edition of "Itogi," only 12% of voters said they trusted Yeltsin,
while 57% of those polled said that they had no confidence in him.)
~ Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.

410,000 SIGNATURES IN FAVOR OF REFERENDUM ON RESTORING THE
MONARCHY. During the fortnight that has passed since 12 September,
when it first announced the move, the Majority Party has collected
410,000 signatures in 24 Russian regions in favor of a referendum
on the restoration of the monarchy in Russia and the extension for
two further years of the terms of both the parliament and the
president, party Chairman Vyacheslav Grechnev told Interfax on 26
September. The referendum would call for the restoration of the
Romanov dynasty under young Prince Georgii, with Yeltsin as regent.
The Russian Law on Referendums, which requires 1 million signatures
before a referendum can be held, was passed in 1990 and is believed
to have been rendered invalid with the adoption in December 1993 of
the new Russian Constitution, which has different requirements on
this score. ~ Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.

YELTSIN AIDES DEFEND ANTICRIME DECREE. On 26 September Yeltsin's
spokesman Vyacheslav Kostikov and Vladimir Vorontsov, public
relations officer at the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs,
attacked the recommendation by the president's Public Chamber to
repeal his decree on combating organized crime (see yesterday's
Daily Report). Interfax cited Kostikov as saying that he shared the
chamber's concern over human rights violations under the decree but
considered that annulling it would be hasty and unrealistic: crime
was so rampant in Russia, Interfax and Russian TV cited Kostikov as
saying, that only tough measures could eliminate it. Police Colonel
Vorontsov also dismissed the chamber's recommendation, saying that
only 36 complaints of human rights having been violated in this
connection had been deemed valid by the Office of the Russian
Prosecutor-General. ~ Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.

UNEMPLOYMENT ON THE RISE. An ITAR-TASS report of 26 September cited
the Federal Employment Service as disclosing that the number of
people out of work in Russia had increased by 1.7 times since the
beginning of this year, reaching 1,392,000 by 1 September. Most
severely affected were employees in the state sector, in particular
in industry, construction, transportation, and communications.
Geographically, the fastest rise in unemployment was observed in
Karachaevo-Cherkessia, the Orel region, Tatarstan, the Jewish
Autonomous Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, and Amur Oblast. The unemployed
make up 1.7% of Russia's entire adult population, ITAR-TASS
reported: 8% of them have been out of work for more than a year and
40% for more than four months. ~ Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.

OFFICER SAYS MILITARY BUDGET TOO LOW. Colonel General Vasilii
Churanov, a senior officer in the Defense Ministry, told the State
Duma's Defense Committee that the proposed 1995 military budget of
60.2 trillion rubles would not be enough to maintain Russia's
defense capability at the required level. Interfax reported on 26
September that Churanov had also complained about this year's
budget, telling the committee that by that date the Defense
Ministry had received only 14.6 trillion rubles--just over half the
funds allotted to it over the past nine months. He said that most
of the money received was used to pay wages, leaving little over
for food, fuel, electricity, and equipment repairs. ~ Doug Clarke,
RFE/RL Inc.

NAVAL WORKERS ON STRIKE. Workers at the Murmansk Sevmorput naval
ship repair facility began a three-day warning strike on 26
September, Interfax reported that day. It quoted the plant's strike
committee as saying that workers at Sevmorput and other local
defense facilities had not been paid for the last three months'
work. Earlier this month, the workers' committee had warned the
plant's management of an indefinite general strike unless they
received their wages in full. Interfax indicated that the Sevmorput
management had promised to pay the back wages over the next few
days. ~ Doug Clarke, RFE/RL Inc.

RUSSIAN ENERGY MINISTER PROPOSES CASPIAN COMMITTEE. In the wake of
official Russian expressions of dissatisfaction over a deal signed
by Azerbaijan and an international consortium of oil companies to
develop oil fields in the Caspian (see yesterday's Daily Report),
Russian Minister of Fuel and Energy Yurii Shafranik has proposed
the creation of a multinational coordinating committee to supervise
the development of offshore oil deposits in the Caspian Sea,
Russian and Western agencies reported on 26 September. Shafranik
proposed including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan as well
as Russia, asserting that the first two had already given their
verbal agreement to the idea of such a committee. Iran, he said,
could eventually join too. A draft of an agreement to create the
committee gives each party sovereign rights over territorial waters
up to ten miles from its coastline, with the committee supervising
the exploitation of mineral resources on the Caspian shelf. ~ Bess
Brown, RFE/RL Inc.

                  TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

NAZARBAEV WANTS CLOSER TIES WITH SAUDI ARABIA. Kazakhstan's
President Nursultan Nazarbaev, on an official visit to Saudi
Arabia, has called for closer ties between his and his hosts'
countries and encouraged Saudi businessmen to invest in Kazakhstan,
Western and Russian agencies reported. Nazarbaev met with King Fahd
to discuss future cooperation, including Saudi educational
opportunities for Kazakhs and the establishment of diplomatic
relations, as well as the situation in the Middle East and Central
Asia. Nazarbaev also met with the secretary-general of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, who promised to ask
Organization members to develop close links with Kazakhstan. Saudi
Arabia has provided help to Muslim religious institutions in the
new Central Asian states but has been slow to develop business ties
or invest in secular projects. ~ Bess Brown, RFE/RL Inc.

"OPPOSITION" PARTY TO PARTICIPATE IN UZBEK ELECTION. Anvar
Yuldashev, chairman of the Homeland Progress Party in Uzbekistan,
told journalists on 26 September that his organization would take a
very active role in the parliamentary election scheduled for 25
December, Interfax reported. The party is not generally regarded as
a genuine opposition to the Popular Democrats of President Islam
Karimov; it was set up in 1992 by Karimov's adviser on youth
problems, with the president's blessing. It fully supports
Karimov's limited reforms, and has attracted a membership of
entrepreneurs and young members of the intelligentsia. Its
membership of some 35,000 is reported to be concentrated in
Tashkent. Though Karimov asserts that the party's participation in
the election will ensure that the new parliament will have a
multiparty character, the genuine Uzbek opposition will be unable
to participate in either the election or the parliament, because it
is refused legal registration. ~ Bess Brown, RFE/RL Inc.

                    CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

KARADZIC MAKES THREATS AFTER CLINTON'S UN ADDRESS. Bosnian Serb
leader Radovan Karadzic responded angrily to US President Bill
Clinton's address to the UN General Assembly on 26 September.
Clinton said there was a need for greater enforcement of UN
Security Council-mandated safe areas around Sarajevo and other
Moslem enclaves in Bosnia. He also asserted that NATO is ready to
act, just as it did last week when NATO jets destroyed a Bosnian
Serb tank near Sarajevo. Karadzic told Reuters on 26 September that
"if there are going to be more air strikes, then there is going to
be war between us and the international community. We are cornered
and we will fight as we fought the Austro-Hungarian Empire and
Hitler. We will fight the United Nations if it turns against us. If
NATO comes here, we will fight NATO." ~ Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.

ARMS EMBARGO AGAINST BOSNIA TO BE LIFTED? Reuters reported on 26
September that US President Bill Clinton was considering a
compromise over his controversial plan to ask the UN to lift the
arms embargo against the Bosnian government. Clinton has said he
will ask the UN to end the embargo if the Bosnian Serbs refuse to
accept the latest peace plan by 15 October. Faced with strong
opposition from France, Britain, and Russia, Clinton is now
reportedly considering a compromise whereby he would accept a delay
in lifting the embargo until winter is over. According to Reuters,
Clinton discussed this plan with Bosnian President Alija
Izetbegovic and UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali, who are
in New York for the UN General Assembly session. Meanwhile,
international media report that Izetbegovic will seek a UN Security
Council vote on lifting the arms embargo but will propose that this
move be delayed for up to six months. Izetbegovic is to address the
UN General Assembly on 27 September. ~ Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.

SERBIAN PRESIDENT MEETS MEDIATORS. Tanjug reports that Thorvald
Stoltenberg and David Owen, co-chairmen of the International
Conference on Former Yugoslavia, are in Belgrade to hear a report
by UN officials on the effectiveness of Serbia's embargo against
the Bosnian Serbs. Serbia imposed the embargo against its former
allies after the Bosnian Serbs refused to accept the latest peace
plan. In response to the Serbian embargo, the UN Security Council
decided tentatively to ease sanctions against Serbia. Tanjug
reports that Stoltenberg and Owen are to meet with Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic on 27 September. Stoltenberg told
Norwegian Radio on 26 September that he supported easing the
embargo against Serbia as a "first step toward peace." ~ Jiri Pehe,
RFE/RL Inc.

SARAJEVO CUT OFF AGAIN. After a Bosnian Serb commander's threat
that "any UN plane would be shot down," a state of alert remains in
effect at the Sarajevo airport, international media reported on 26
September. UN officials in Sarajevo said there were to be no
flights in or out of Sarajevo airport on 26 September. The UN was
also trying to determine on 26 September why gas supplies to
Sarajevo had been cut off again following an agreement with Bosnian
Serbs to restore utilities to the city. A UN official told the
media on 26 September that if the supply problem is not technical,
it may constitute an abrogation of the agreement. He said Bosnian
Serbs had already violated the accord by refusing UN repairmen safe
access to damaged electricity pylons. ~ Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.

POLISH BROADCASTING CONFLICT CONTINUES. After the 23 September
decision to dismiss Marek Markiewicz and Maciej Ilowiecki from the
National Broadcasting Council, President Lech Walesa has cut short
speculation about the legality of the move by appointing two new
members: retired General Henryk Andracki, former communications and
information services chief, and Tomasz Kwiatkowski, an official
involved in the abolition of the old Radio and Television
Committee. Janusz Zaorski, whom Walesa appointed chairman of the
NBC in July, has now adopted a confrontational course by refusing
to sign the papers that would give force to the low-frequency
transmitter license granted in January to the Polish-French Canal
Plus coded pay-television company. Sejm Speaker Jozef Oleksy, asked
by the eight original NBC members to defuse the conflict, said the
president had made finding legal loopholes a specialty and had
built his power on them, Gazeta Wyborcza reports. ~ Anna
Sabbat-Swidlicka, RFE/RL Inc.

DYBIEC FOR POLISH POLICE CHIEF? Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak's
preferred candidate for police chief, Leszek Lamparski, withdrew
his candidacy on 26 September, after the results of medical
examinations confirmed he was unfit for service. At a meeting with
President Lech Walesa the same day, Pawlak said he would propose
Krzysztof Dybiec, a young policeman who has a successful
crime-fighting record in Warsaw and is currently head of operations
in the customs police. Walesa said he had "no professional
objections" to Dybiec. Interior Minister Andrzej Milczanowski's
preferred candidate, Cracow police chief Boguslaw Strzelecki, has
revealed he will remain in Cracow. ~ Anna Sabbat-Swidlicka, RFE/RL
Inc.

POLISH-CHINESE ECONOMIC COOPERATION. On his return to Warsaw from a
three-day visit to China, Polish Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak
said bilateral trade could reach $1 billion annually in the near
future, PAP reported on 25 September. Poland hopes that the signing
of eight bilateral agreements will create a legal framework for
enhanced cooperation and that the establishment of direct contacts
between Polish and Chinese enterprises will boost trade. The Poles
have high expectations for the chemical and machinery construction
industries, as well as for the energy and agricultural sectors. ~
Anna Sabbat-Swidlicka, RFE/RL Inc.

SUDETEN GERMANS WANT TO BLOCK CZECH, SLOVAK EU ENTRY. Franz
Neubauer, leader of the largest Sudeten German association in
Germany, has sent a letter to the new European parliament saying
that "Sudeten Germans cannot imagine that the Czech Republic and
Slovakia can become European Union members as long as they insist
on the validity of the Benes decrees." Under these decrees, some 3
million Sudeten Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia and their
property confiscated after World War II. CTK reports Neubauer as
arguing that the decrees violate human rights and international
law. In the case of the Czech Republic, where a majority of the
Sudeten Germans lived, "every Sudeten German must have the right to
return to the old country." Neubauer also asserted that these
questions can be solved through a dialogue between the Czechs and
Sudeten Germans. ~ Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.

CZECHS, SLOVAKS AGREE ON BOJNICE ALTAR. Slovak Minister of Culture
Lubomir Roman and his Czech counterpart, Pavel Tigrid, signed an
agreement in Brno on 26 September providing for the return of the
Bojnice altar to Slovakia, CTK and TASR report. The 15th-century
altar, built for the Bojnice Castle chapel in central Slovakia, was
brought to Prague before World War II and is now at the Czech
National Gallery. The altar has been a bone of contention between
Slovaks and Czechs since the split of Czechoslovakia on 1 January
1993. The altar will be exchanged for ten Gothic paintings. The two
ministers also signed an agreement on cultural cooperation. ~
Sharon Fisher, RFE/RL Inc.

SLOVAK GOVERNMENT APPOINTS COUNSEL FOR GABCIKOVO. The Slovak
cabinet has appointed former Polish Foreign Minister Krysztof
Skubiszewski to represent Slovakia in the trial against Hungary
over the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros dam, TASR reports. The two countries
agreed in April 1993 to bring the case to the International Court
of Justice in The Hague. ~ Sharon Fisher, RFE/RL Inc.

HUNGARIAN FINANCE MINISTER ON 1995 FINANCIAL POLICY. At a press
conference on 26 September, Hungarian Finance Minister Laszlo
Bekesi discussed the government's financial policy for 1995, MTI
reports. Bekesi said stabilizing the economy and laying the
foundations for future economic growth are the two major concerns
of his ministry. It is planned that investment will grow by 5% in
1995, while consumption decreases by 2-4%. In order to achieve
these goals, the growth in wages must be 5% less than the inflation
rate and budget expenditures must be curtailed. The state deficit
is planned not to exceed 7% of GDP, projected at 490-510 billion
forint. In order to encourage foreign investment, the Hungarian
government plans to speed up privatization. ~ Judith Pataki, RFE/RL
Inc.

ROMANIAN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES THE UN, MEETS WITH CLINTON. Addressing
the UN General Assembly on 26 September, Ion Iliescu called for an
international "partnership for development" aimed at diminishing
instability and tension caused by economic inequality, Radio
Bucharest reports on 27 September. He also said Romania supported
the inclusion of Germany and Japan in the UN Security Council. The
same day Iliescu met with US President Bill Clinton. While
welcoming the increase in trade between his country and the US,
Iliescu said he hoped the Clinton administration would drop the
yearly revisions of his country's most-favored-nation status. He
invited Clinton to visit Romania sometime in late 1994. Iliescu
also met with UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali, who is to
visit Romania soon, as well as with Bosnian President Alia
Izetbegovic, Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis, and Israeli Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres. Earlier, he held talks with American
businessmen. ~ Michael Shafir, RFE/RL Inc.

ROMANIAN OPPOSITION PARTY REBUKES ANTI-MOSES SIGNATORY. Ion
Diaconescu, deputy chairman of the opposition National Peasant
Party-Christian Democratic, said his party has censured NPP-CC
Senator Matei Boila, Radio Bucharest reported on 26 September.
Boila was one of seven signatories to the letter protesting the
appointment of Jewish leader Alfred Moses as US ambassador to
Bucharest. Diaconescu said a delegation from his party was on its
way to the US embassy to apologize for what he termed "a great
political mistake." ~ Michael Shafir, RFE/RL Inc.

POLL SHOWS ROMANIAN OPPOSITION AHEAD. A poll carried out by the
independent Institute for Opinion and Market Survey on behalf of
the Soros Foundation shows that if elections were held in Romania
now, the united opposition (the Democratic Convention of Romania)
would win. However, the Party of Social Democracy in Romania, the
main ruling coalition partner, scores higher than any member of the
DCR separately. The results of the poll were reported by Radio
Bucharest on 23 September. Emil Constantinescu, the DCR's
presidential candidate in the 1992 elections, was supported by 52%
of the interviewees, while incumbent President Ion Iliescu's
popularity rating was just 45%. ~ Michael Shafir, RFE/RL Inc.

CENTRIST PARTY ATTEMPTS TO FORM NEW GOVERNMENT IN BULGARIA.
International media reported on 26 September that the New Choice
party, a small centrist group, is trying to form a new government
in Bulgaria. Lyuben Berov's cabinet resigned on 2 September. Since
then, the country's two largest parties--the Socialists and the
Union of Democratic Forces--have both refused to form a new
government. New Choice leader Ivan Pushkarov accepted President
Zhelyu Zhelev's invitation to name a cabinet. If Pushkarov fails,
new elections will be inevitable. New Choice hopes to put forward a
candidate for prime minister by 30 September. The candidate would
then have seven days to form a cabinet, which must be approved by
the parliament. ~ Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.

INTERNATIONAL LOANS FOR ALBANIA. The World Bank has granted Tirana
a $10 million credit for agriculture, Rilindja reported on 23
September. The loan is to be used for farm irrigation in seven
districts of the country, where it is expected that the annual
income of 60,000 families running small farms will increase by
about $500. In its annual financial report, published recently, the
World Bank gives Albania high marks for economic performance. The
report says that Albania has witnessed an economic upsurge and made
substantial progress in privatization. Rilindja also reports that
the IMF has granted Albania a $21 million credit. ~ Louis Zanga,
RFE/RL Inc.

FORMER UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ELECTED TO PARLIAMENT. Leonid Kravchuk,
was elected to the parliament in a by-election in Ternopil Oblast,
Ukrinform-TASS reported on 26 September. Kravchuk, who does not
belong to any political party, garnered 87.4% of the vote. Turnout
was 85.7%. ~ Ustina Markus, RFE/RL Inc.

CRIMEAN UPDATE. The Crimean parliament called off its session
scheduled for 23 September to give its leaders time to consider the
Ukrainian parliament's 22 September ultimatum, Ukrainian Television
reported on 23 September. The ultimatum demanded that the Crimean
parliament bring its legislation into line with Ukraine's by 1
November. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Radio reported on 25 September that
"Russia," Crimea's largest parliamentary faction, has split into
two groups: "Russia," still headed by Serhii Nikulin, and
"Russia-unity," headed by Vice-Admiral Oleksandr Frolov. In the
peninsula's presidential elections, "Russia" supported President
Yurii Meshkov. The "Russia-unity" faction opposes Meshkov. ~ Ustina
Markus, RFE/RL Inc.

BELARUS CUTS GAS SUPPLIES TO ENTERPRISES. The Belarusian Energy
Ministries are cutting gas and fuel supplies to enterprises that
have not paid their energy bills, Belarusian Radio reported on 26
September. To date, a total of 31 enterprises have had their gas
supplies cut, while 38 have received reduced electricity supplies.
Belarus's debt to its gas supplier, Gazprom, stood at $430 million
earlier this month. ~ Ustina Markus, RFE/RL Inc.

MOLDOVA APPEALS TO CSCE OVER "DNIESTER" ALPHABET BAN. The Moldovan
Foreign Ministry has appealed to the CSCE's Permanent Secretariat,
Committee of Senior Officials, Chairman in Office Antonio Martino,
and High Commissioner for National Minorities Max van der Stoel to
intercede on behalf of the Transdniester Moldovans who want to use
the Roman alphabet for their native language. Delegations of
Moldovan parents and teachers from the three remaining
Transdniester schools resisting the imposition of the Russian
script are due to meet soon with US and CSCE missions in Chisinau.
The Russian Federation has long ignored Moldova's appeals to
intercede. For the second consecutive week, local pan-Russian
groups are occupying the premises of the only Moldovan school still
teaching in the Roman script in Moldova's right-bank city of
Bendery, largely controlled by the left-bank "Dniester republic." ~
Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL Inc.

ESTONIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN PREMIER. The
Estonian parliament passed a vote of no confidence in Prime
Minister Mart Laar on 26 September. Sixty deputies voted for the
no-confidence motion, 27 against, and one abstained; only 51 votes
were needed in the 101-seat parliament to force him from office.
Laar's government collapsed amid charges of financial impropriety
as the cost of economic reform continued to soar. President Lennart
Meri has two weeks to nominate a new prime minister. Laar, who is
expected to remain in office until a new candidate is chosen, told
the press that his Pro Patria (Isamaa) party is prepared to play a
role in the new government if the present course is continued,
Baltic media reported. ~ Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL Inc.

NEW AGRICULTURE MINISTER AND UN ENVOY IN LITHUANIA. President
Algirdas Brazauskas on 26 September accepted the resignation of
Agriculture Minister Rimantas Karazija and appointed Vytautas
Einoris as his replacement. Although Einoris served most recently
as his country's envoy to Kazakhstan, he is a professional
agronomist with experience dating back to the Soviet era, BNS
reported. Three days earlier, the new Lithuanian ambassador to the
United Nations, Oskaras Jusys, presented his credentials to UN
Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali. The Lithuanian envoy
assured Boutros Ghali that Lithuania will take an active part in UN
activities and will help strengthen the organization's role in the
world, BNS reported on 23 September. ~ Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL Inc.

[As of 1200 CET] (Compiled by Eileen Downing and Jan Cleave)
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