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Subject:      RFE/RL Daily Report 29 DEC, 1992

The RFE/RL Daily Report is a digest of the latest developments
in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. It is published
Monday through Friday (except German holidays) by the RFE/RL
Research Institute (a division of Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, Inc.). Copyright 1992 RFE/RL, Inc.


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                     RFE/RL Daily Report

                                         No. 248, 29 December 1992

                   SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

CALLS FOR MORE INTEGRATION AT CIS ASSEMBLY MEETING. At a meeting
of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly in St. Petersburg,
parliamentary leaders of the seven CIS states which have joined
this body adopted in principle accords calling for greater
coordination in laws covering constitutional reform, citizenship,
the economy and the environment, Russian news agencies reported on
28 December.  The chairman of the Russian parliament, Ruslan
Khasbulatov, was quoted as calling for the Interparliamentary
Assembly to become more effective and for a common development
policy to be worked out for the CIS.  Among others who urged
greater integration were CIS Armed Forces commander Yevgenii
Shaposhnikov and the chairman of the St. Petersburg municipal
council, Aleksandr Belyaev.  The latter pointed out that the CIS
"resembles more a committee for the elimination of the former
Soviet Union than a powerful stimulus for integration." (Bohdan
Nahaylo, RFE/RL, Inc.)

SHAPOSHNIKOV WANTS CIS DEFENSIVE ALLIANCE.  Marshal Evgenii
Shaposhnikov, the commander in chief of the CIS Joint Armed
Forces, proposed on 28 December that the CIS set up a defensive
military alliance in his remarks to the CIS interparliamentary
assembly in St. Petersburg. Interfax quoted him as telling the
delegates that "military integration was no infringement on the
independence of sovereign states," but rather a vital necessity.
Shaposhnikov complained that only six CIS states had signed the
collective security system agreement, and only three of these had
yet ratified it.  He expressed concern about the combat readiness
of his forces, and warned that the "process of disintegration"
could not be stopped without taking effective measures for the
common defense.  (Doug Clarke, RFE/RL, Inc.)

MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS CALLS FOR CLOSER CIS INTEGRATION.
The International Movement for Democratic Reforms held a congress
in Moscow on 26 December. Ostankino TV said 86 delegates and 46
observers from Russia and other unidentified countries of the
former Soviet Union attended the congress, which adopted an appeal
to the people and leaders of the countries of the CIS urging them
to stop "fratricidal wars" and to make the defense of human rights
their top priority. Congressional delegates said that the main
goal of the Movement for Democratic Reforms is the transformation
of the CIS "from a mechanism of civilized divorce into a mechanism
of consolidation of new states." The movement was set up in Moscow
in 1991 by leading Russian reformist politicians, including
Aleksandr Yakovlev, Eduard Shevardnadze, Gavriil Popov and
Anatolii Sobchak. At the time the movement had a goal that proved
unrealistic: the unification of the democratic forces of the
entire USSR. (Vera Tolz, RFE/RL, Inc.)

KIEV GRAPPLES WITH ECONOMIC CRISIS. The Ukrainian cabinet of
Ministers is meeting on 29 December to discuss further measures to
deal with the grave economic crisis in which Ukraine finds itself,
Ukrainian Radio reported.  Reuters also reported that the
Ukrainian parliament has also cut short its winter break and will
resume its work in early January. After protests by workers
against the recent sharp price increases, Ukrainian cabinet
members and parliamentary deputies met on 28 December with workers
from the Kiev Arsenal factory and trade union leaders, Ukrainian
TV reported. Meanwhile, on 28 December, Interfax reported that
Ukraine's deputy foreign trade minister, Leonid Steshenko, and two
of his aides have been arrested on corruption charges involving
the illegal export of "strategic" goods," including oil.  (Bohdan
Nahaylo, RFE/RL, Inc.)

MOSCOW CONDEMNS MURDER OF RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN IN TAJIKISTAN.  The
Russian Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded condemnation of
the murder of three servicemen of the Russian 201st Motorized
Division that is stationed in Tajikistan, Interfax reported on 28
December.  The bodies of the three were found on 26 December near
the town of Kofarnihon, a stronghold of the Tajik opposition. The
servicemen had been taken hostage by an anti-government group two
weeks earlier. According to the report, the three had been shot
and their bodies showed signs of torture. Interfax added that
retreating Islamic Renaissance Party supporters had killed
civilian hostages. In response to the discovery of the three
Russians, the same source reported on 26 December, the Tajik
government appealed to the officers of the 201st Division not to
leave the country as they had earlier threatened to do if Russian
servicemen were attacked. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.)

IMF RELEASES FORECAST FOR FORMER SOVIET UNION. A summary report of
the International Monetary Fund on the world's developing and
former centrally-planned economies predicts continued, if abated,
decline in the region of the former Soviet Union. The report,
released on 22 December, shows real gross domestic product in the
area falling by 7.6% in 1993 as opposed to the 18.6% decline this
year. Although export volume is expected to rise by 17% in 1993,
the current account balance will worsen, dropping 20.4% in dollar
terms. With regard to Russia, the report was critical of the
relaxation of monetary policy in the region, but also cited, as a
positive development, hardening budget constraints on enterprises.
(Erik Whitlock, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUSSIAN EXPORTS FALL 26%. Citing figures of the Russian Committee
for Statistics, ITAR-TASS reported on 28 December that the volume
of Russian exports between January and November was 26% lower than
the corresponding period in 1991. Although the numbers by
themselves were not encouraging, they seemed to support claims
that exports have been stabilizing in recent months.  The figures
for the first half of this year indicate that Russian exports were
much worse, down 35% from the corresponding period last year.
(Erik Whitlock, RFE/RL, Inc.)

DEMOCRATIC RUSSIA TO SUPPORT YELTSIN IN APRIL REFERENDUM. A leader
of the Democratic Russia movement, Father Gleb Yakunin, told a
press conference in Moscow on 28 December that his organization
plans to form a coalition to support President Yeltsin in next
April's referendum on a new Russian constitution. Yakunin was
quoted by Western and Russian agencies as saying Democratic
Russia, in coalition with other pro-democratic movements, intends
to launch an campaign in support of a draft constitution favored
by Yeltsin. In addition to Democratic Russia, the coalition would
certainly include the Republican Party and the Radical Democrats
faction in the Russian parliament.  Yakunin said he also hoped
that the Russian Movement for Democratic Reforms, the New Russia
coalition, and the Party for Economic Reforms will join the
Democratic Russia in support of Yeltsin. (Vera Tolz, RFE/RL, Inc.)

MORE ON RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE MEDIA. The new Russian Federal
Information Center will exercise authority over Ostankino TV, the
federal TV company Rossiya, 89 regional TV centers, and the wire
services ITAR-TASS and RIA -Novosti, according to the full text of
President Yeltsin's decree, published by ITAR-TASS on 27 December.
Led by a long-time Yeltsin confidant, Mikhail Poltoranin, the new
agency will promote support for the reform process in the media.
At the same time, the Ministry of Information, led by another
Yeltsin ally, Mikhail Fedotov, will control the licensing of
publishers and broadcasters. Although the Russian government this
year contributed approximately 100 billion rubles to the mass
media, the general public is poorly informed about this
governmental support, according to Poltoranin as quoted by
ITAR-TASS on 26 December. (Victor Yasmann, RFE/RL, Inc.).

NEW INFORMATION MINISTER OUTLINES HIS POLICY.  Mikhail Fedotov,
new Russian Minister for Information and Mass Media, told
journalists on 29 December that the defense of the rights of
journalists and mass media against "discrimination, monopolization
and interference in the internal life of editorial offices" was
the main goal of his ministry. ITAR-TASS reported that when asked
about the new Russian Federation Information Center created by
President Yeltsin, Fedotov said he saw it as "a
consultative-analytical body of the presidential structure" which
directs mass media on the president's behalf. Critics have charged
that the creation of the Information Center marks a step toward
censorship. The charge was rebuffed by the center's head, former
information minister, Mikhail Poltoranin, who said on 27 December
that the center would in no way infringe on journalists' rights.
(Vera Tolz, RFE/RL, Inc.)

START TALKS IN GENEVA. Both U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence
Eagleburger and Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev expressed
satisfaction with their talks in Geneva on 28 December to finalize
START 2. Eagleburger refused to predict whether the treaty would
be completed during meetings on 29 December, but a spokesman for
the American side said that US President George Bush remained
hopeful that the accord could be finished, Russian and Western
agencies reported.  (Suzanne Crow, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RADIOACTIVE WATER LEAKS INTO RESERVOIR. Radioactive water from the
Beloyarsk nuclear power station in the East Siberian Altai Krai
has polluted the water in the Beloyarsk reservoir, ITAR-TASS
reported on 28 December. The agency quoted the Russian State
Atomic Supervisory Commission as saying that the water was not
polluted severely enough to endanger people living in the area.
The commission is investigating the incident. (Vera Tolz, RFE/RL,
Inc.)

CHINA WANTS RUSSIAN HELP IN BUILDING CARRIERS.  Interfax on 23
December quoted a "high-ranking" CIS naval official as saying that
China had recently asked for Russian technical assistance in the
construction of two Chinese aircraft carriers modeled on the
Soviet Kiev-class.  The official discounted rumors that the
Chinese wanted to buy two such ships, the Minsk and Novorossiisk.
Both are in poor condition: Minsk is in the reserve fleet and
ready for the scrap yard, while Novorossiisk is soon "to be put on
the redundant list." He did say that a delegation of Chinese
sailors and shipbuilders had recently visited the Novorossiisk to
study its design. Mayak Radio on 25 December reported that the
Chinese Foreign Ministry also denied that China was hold talks
with Russian on the sale of the two ships.  (Doug Clarke, RFE/RL,
Inc.)

YELTSIN DECREE ON SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MILITARY. Interfax on 28
December announced that President Yeltsin had issued a decree "on
measures for the social security of servicemen, ex-servicemen and
members of their families." The decree calls for the creation of a
new social organization, the "Inter-State Association Legion." It
indicates that this association will participate in running new
enterprises--apparently privatized "military-technical property"
and military plants converted to civilian use--which will benefit
those covered by the decree.  The Russian government was also
tasked to propose a draft law whereby employment in these
enterprises could be an alternative to military service.  (Doug
Clarke, RFE/RL, Inc.)

TAJIK ARMS SURRENDER DEADLINE EXTENDED. Chairman of Tajikistan's
Supreme Soviet Imomali Rakhmonov has extended the deadline for
anti-government forces to surrender their weapons to 4 January,
Interfax reported on 28 December, quoting Tajik TV.  The original
deadline was 28 December, and government officials had threatened
reprisals against those who failed to comply. The same day
Rakhmonov's deputy told Interfax that only 3,000 small arms had
been confiscated so far; official sources estimate the number of
unregistered weapons circulating in the country at 18,000, while
unofficial sources claim 30-35,000.  (Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.)

AZERBAIJAN AND IRAN TO BROADEN CONTACTS. An Azerbaijani delegation
led by Secretary of State Panakh Guseinov departed for Iran on 28
December to sign agreements broadening relations between Iran and
Azerbaijan, an RFE/RL correspondent reported on the same day
quoting Interfax. The documents reportedly concern the expansion
of trade, economic, scientific, and cultural relations between the
two countries. Meanwhile, on the same day, Russia handed turned
over to Azerbaijan 19 border posts and a checkpoint on the border
with Iran and Turkey as part of an agreement signed last October,
an RFE/RL correspondent reported.  (Hal Kosiba, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT CANCELS WARSAW PACT TREATY.  The Russian
parliament on 23 December ratified the protocol that canceled the
1955 Warsaw Treaty which spawned the Warsaw Treaty Organization or
Warsaw Pact.  According to Interfax, Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Vitalii Churkin told the deputies that the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) no longer represented the threat it
used to be.  One hardline deputy, Vladimir Isakov, called on his
colleagues not to ratify the protocol, arguing that "sooner or
later" the former Pact members would want to cooperate and it
would then "be difficult to restore the treaty." (Doug Clarke,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

NEW RUSSIAN ARMY GROUP TO BE FORMED. Russian Defense Minister
Pavel Grachev has announced that a "new Russian army grouping"
would be set up on the basis of the Leningrad Military District.
As reported by Baltfax on 27 December, Grachev said that the new
organization would combine the best units to be withdrawn from the
Baltic states and Germany.  The Leningrad Military District would
become a "border district" covering the northwest of Russia, and
would thus have several "strategically important tasks." (Doug
Clarke, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUSSIANS REVEAL COMBAT LOSSES SINCE 1918. The Russian military
publishers Voyenizdat have just published a statistical study of
all Soviet combat losses from 1918 through 1989. According to
Interfax on 28 December, the press service of the Russian Defense
Ministry said that this data had previously been regarded as
"sensitive" material.  The study says that 8,668,400 military
personnel--including border guards and interior troops--were
killed during the Great Patriotic War. Over 139,100 military
personnel lost their lives in combat operations between the two
World Wars, including 8,931 in the 1939 campaign against Japan in
the Far East, and 126,875 in the Soviet-Finish war of 1939-1940.
The study claims that 16,100 Soviet servicemen lost their lives
while doing their "internationalist" duty between 1950 and 1989.
These included 14,453 killed in Afghanistan.  (Doug Clarke,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

                    CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

BREAK IN THE SARAJEVO SIEGE IN THE OFFING?  International media
report on 29 December that UN sources have identified a large
massing of Bosnian troops to the south of the encircled capital.
From another direction, Bosnian and Croatian forces appear to be
grouping, prompting speculation that the Bosnians might seek to
realize their hope of ending the eight-month siege.  Muslim leader
Alija Izetbegovic has long called on the Croats to help break the
Serbian hold on the town, but has also stressed that the Muslims
could do the job themselves if properly armed.  This has been a
major reason behind his request that the UN arms embargo be lifted
on his republic. Meanwhile in Geneva, talks between Muslims and
Croats on Bosnia's political future ended without agreement.
(Patrick Moore, RFE/RL, Inc.)

CANADIAN UN TROOPS REACH MACEDONIA. Reuters said on 28 December
that the first troops of what will be a Canadian force of 150 have
arrived in Macedonia. They will stay until a larger Scandinavian
group comes in mid-February. Other UN personnel have been in
Macedonia since 15 December.  This will constitute the first case
in the Wars of the Yugoslav Succession that peace-keeping troops
have been stationed without fighting having broken out.
Meanwhile, international media report that Albania has again
called on Macedonia to grant full equality to its 20-to-40%
Albanian minority as a prerequisite for diplomatic recognition,
which Tirana is otherwise eager to extend.  Greece, however, is
continuing its campaign against international recognition of
Macedonia, and the foreign minister has returned to Athens to
direct the operation. Macedonia is seeking international backing
through the UN after nearly a year of failing to overcome a Greek
veto of recognition by the EC.  (Patrick Moore, RFE/RL, Inc.)

ROMANIAN VOLUNTEERS FIGHTING FOR SERBIA? In an interview broadcast
on Radio Bucharest on 28 December National Defense Minister
Nicolae Spiroiu denied Romanian officers are fighting as
volunteers on Serbia's side.  The denial came in the wake of a
declaration made in Geneva by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman
and reported by AFP and Hungarian Radio. Spiroiu said that there
are no Romanian volunteers or Romanian military personnel in
Serbia or elsewhere on the territory of former Yugoslavia.
(Michael Shafir, RFE/RL, Inc.)

PROTEST STRIKE AT INDEPENDENT CROATIAN NEWSPAPER.  Western news
agencies said on 28 December that employees of the Split daily
Slobodna Dalmacija have staged a one-day warning strike in protest
against government attempts to control editorial policy.  The
paper is the only one of Croatia's three main dailies that is not
in effect subordinated to the government and the ruling Croatian
Democratic Community (HDZ), but the authorities have tried for
several months to influence or control editorial policy by setting
up a "privatization board" in what really amounts to an attempted
takeover.  The employees and their editors say they can run and
manage the paper themselves, and want to abolish the board. The
HDZ-dominated government of President Tudjman controls the
broadcast media, the national news agency, and a weekly news
magazine.  It has forced one independent weekly news magazine out
of business and has taken legal measures against two other weekly
newspapers. (Patrick Moore, RFE/RL, Inc.)

DEVELOPMENTS PRIOR TO THE SPLIT OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA.  CTK reports
that on 28 December Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Jozef Moravcik,
Czech Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec, and Slovak Foreign
Minister Milan Knazko signed agreements that will govern the
division of Czechoslovakia's fixed and movable assets abroad
between the Czech Republic and Slovakia.  In another development,
Czech authorities have begun building provisional check-points at
future border crossings between the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
According to Czech Interior Ministry officials, only trucks
"suspected of smuggling" will be checked at the border.  Passenger
cars will be checked randomly.  CTK reports Slovak officials as
saying that Slovakia will not build similar installations before 1
January 1993.  (Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL, Inc.)

SLOVAKS ASK FOR CZECH CITIZENSHIP. A CTK report on 26 December
said that the Czech Interior Ministry is receiving more than 3,000
applications a day from Slovaks for Czech citizenship.
Czechoslovak TV reported earlier that some 30,000 Slovaks have so
far applied and that the Czech Interior Ministry is only able to
process about 100 applications a day. More than 300,000 Slovaks
live on the territory of the Czech Republic. According to the new
Czech citizenship law they have until 31 December 1993 to opt for
Czech citizenship.  (Jan Obrman, RFE/RL, Inc.)

END TO POLISH STRIKES IN SIGHT? Talks between representatives of
Solidarity and Finance Ministry officials on 28 December brought
the first signs of a successful conclusion to the collective
dispute over rising living costs in which Solidarity and the
government have been involved since August 1992, PAP reports.  The
government forecasts a 3-4% percent increase in real wages in the
production sector in 1993.  Agreement would also satisfy some
demands of the striking miners and railway workers.  Separate
talks between lignite miners, employers, and government
representatives on 28 December led to initial agreement in several
areas, including a framework for restructuring of the industry.
Industry Minister Waclaw Niewiarowski was quoted by PAP as saying
that if the talks continue as they have begun, the threat of
strikes would disappear. Talks between Silesian railway workers
and labor ministry officials also resumed on 29 December amid
expectations of a successful outcome. (Anna Sabbat-Swidlicka,
RFE/RL, Inc.)

SKUBISZEWSKI ON NORTH ATLANTIC COOPERATION COUNCIL.  Polish
Foreign Minister Krzysztof Skubiszewski told reporters on 23
December that the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, which
includes foreign ministers of the NATO countries and 15 East
European countries, discussed the possibility of involving member
states in peace operations under the auspices of the UN and CSCE
and that consultations in this respect would be continued.  The
program adopted by the NACC for next year includes political
consultations and practical discussions on such topics as the
structure of the armed forces and its adaptation to cooperation
with NATO; defense policy, training, and command systems. Military
contacts are to be expanded and bilateral contacts will help forge
links between NATO and the non-NATO countries. Skubiszewski told
PAP that the program suits Poland's needs and hopes for broader
cooperation with NATO.  (Anna Sabbat-Swidlicka, RFE/RL, Inc.)

BEROV PRESENTS MAIN OBJECTIVES.  On 28 December Bulgarian prime
minister-designate and economics professor Lyuben Berov outlined
his views on the overall aims of the government he wants to form.
BTA summarized Berov's statement, in which he said that in the
economic sector he will concentrate on promoting large-scale
privatization, supporting private business, and introducing
legislation to regulate bankruptcy and the administration of
state-owned companies.  He also discussed the need to step up
crime-fighting measures, strengthen national security
arrangements, and launch an active labor market policy.  While the
BSP and MRF parliamentary groups said they are generally satisfied
with the declaration, the UDF leadership refused even to meet with
Berov. At the same time, in a tentative cabinet lineup just made
public, the majority of new ministers are UDF legislators, two
from the current acting government. Berov, who has said he would
go on implementing the UDF platform from the October 1991
elections, promised not to rewrite any of the key laws introduced
by the previous UDF government.  (Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL, Inc.)

ROMANIANS PROTEST HANDLING OF KING'S VISIT.  Over 130 Romanian
politicians, cultural figures, and scientists signed a protest
against the government's handling of the aborted visit of former
King Michael to Romania over Christmas. The protest was sent to
Rompres and quoted by Radio Bucharest on 28 December.  The
signatories said the government has "once more displayed
antidemocratic behavior," demonstrating "obstacles specific to
totalitarian regimes" may also be "encountered on the path to
democracy." (Michael Shafir, RFE/RL, Inc.)

PROGRESS ON HUNGARIAN REFERENDUM.  MTI reports that over 81,000
signatures have been collected so far by the Association of People
Living Below Minimum Standards. This ad hoc group is hoping to
turn over to the speaker of the parliament 200,000 signatures in
January 1993, thereby forcing parliament to call a nationwide
referendum on whether or not to dissolve parliament and call for
new elections before the next scheduled general elections in March
1994. The group cited falling living standards and general
political dissatisfaction as reasons for their drive. Some legal
experts, however, question the constitutionality of recalling
parliament by referendum. (Karoly Okolicsanyi, RFE/RL, Inc.)

RUSSIAN PULLOUT FROM VILNIUS COMPLETED. On 28 December the 107th
Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Army completed its
withdrawal from the base in Northern Town in Vilnius, Baltfax
reports.  The papers officially transferring the base to Lithuania
will be signed on 29 December by Russian army officials and Col.
Stasys Knezys, the Lithuanian government commissioner for army
withdrawal.  (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.)

NEW DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF LITHUANIAN RADIO & TV.  At an
extraordinary meeting on 28 December the Seimas by a vote of 68 to
24 with 9 abstentions approved the appointment of Laimonas
Tapinas, former film critic and head of the journalism department
of Vilnius University, as director-general of Lithuanian Radio and
TV, Radio Lithuania reports.  The newly appointed board of
Lithuanian Radio and TV, headed by former Supreme Council deputy
Gediminas Ilgunas, approved the nomination on 27 December.

ESTONIAN BANK TO BE AUCTIONED.  On 28 December the liquidation
commission of the Tartu Commercial Bank announced that the bank's
property, including claims, will be sold at an auction on 15
January, BNS reports.  The bank is one of three whose operations
were suspended on 18 November.  On 18 December it was decided to
dissolve the bank, which failed due to mismanagement and possible
credit fraud. Some bank officials are under investigation.
(Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.)

BULGARIAN CENSUS CONFIRMS LARGE-SCALE EMIGRATION.  The first
results of the Bulgarian census, held between 4 and 14 December
this year, have confirmed a sharp population decrease as a result
of large-scale emigration, BTA reports. Released by the National
Statistical Institute on 28 December, the aggregate figures for
population and housing show that the total population, now
standing at 8,472,724, has decreased by 476,000 since 1985. There
are 3,061,000 dwellings in the country, and 67.1% of the
population live in cities. (Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL, Inc.)

BULGARIA RAISES INTEREST RATE.  On 1 January Bulgaria's prime
interest rate will rise from 41 to 47%, Reuters reported on 28
December. The decision to raise the lending rate was taken by the
Bulgarian National Bank, which said the move was motivated by
"political instability, a forecast inflation rise, and the lack of
an approved 1993 budget law." During 1992 the prime interest rate
has hovered between 54 and 41%, while year-on-year inflation was
recently estimated at 90%.  (Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL, Inc.)

DECLINING FOOD CONSUMPTION, RISING UNEMPLOYMENT IN ROMANIA. A
study released by the National Statistics Board of Romania, quoted
by Rompres on 14 December, shows a steady decline in food
consumption. The study, based on a representative sample of
working families, shows that average monthly consumption in the
first half of 1992 was lower than in the same period in 1991.
Romanians eat less fresh meat and meat products, fish and fish
products, eggs, sugar, potatoes, and fruit. Consumption among
pensioners is even lower than the average.  Expenditures on food,
on the other hand, grew among wage-earners from 51.6% in 1991 to
56.5% in 1992 and among retired persons from 61.7% to 66.6%.
Romania lags behind other former communist countries, such as
Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia in food consumption.
According to data released on 28 December by the Ministry of Labor
and Social Protection and carried by Radio Bucharest and Rompres
on the same day, the number of unemployed persons in Romania has
risen to 1,043,780--9.4% of the total work force. (Michael Shafir,
RFE/RL, Inc.).

PLANNED POLISH-PAKISTANI TANK DEAL. Poland's Foreign Economic
Relations Ministry confirmed reports that Poland and Pakistan are
interested in a contract that would call for the export of 320
Polish T-72 tanks to Pakistan. Quoting a ministry spokeswoman, PAP
said on 28 December that the sum of $450 million mentioned in some
Pakistani papers would be considered by the Poles as the
Pakistanis' starting offer. (Anna Sabbat-Swidlicka, RFE/RL, Inc.)

KURDISH REFUGEES IN ESTONIA. The fate of 125 Kurdish refugees who
entered the country from Russia and were detained in Parnu and
Tallinn on 21 and 22 December remains unsettled, BNS reported on
27 December.  Their expulsion was supposed to have taken place on
23 December.  The refugees are being held at border guard
barracks, where living conditions are described as "abnormal."
Only 14 of the Kurds have decided to go to Latvia or Russia, while
the rest seek political asylum in Estonia or are requesting to be
sent to Sweden. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.)

[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Hal Kosiba & Charles Trumbull
The RFE/RL Daily Report is produced by the RFE/RL Research
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