From: thietaniemi@cc.helsinki.fi
Subject: ESTONIAN news (foreign policy)
Organization: University of Helsinki
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 10:58:05 GMT

Some Estonian news from Tallinn & Tartu:
-------------------------------------------------------------------

                      14.12.92 - 20.12.92
                         
            CSCE PRIME MINISTERS MEET IN STOCKHOLM

On December 14-15, the foreign ministers from CSCE member states
met in Stockholm, Sweden, for a meeting of the CSCE Council which
dealt with, among other things, topics concerning Estonia and the
Baltic states. The CSCE Committee of Senior Officials approved
a resolution to open a CSCE representation in Estonia, which will
be active for six months and hopefully open before February 15,
1993. The delegation will be active in both Tallinn and in
northeast Estonia, an area with a large Russian-speaking
population. The purpose of the representation will be to aid
understanding between the different ethnic communities residing
in Estonia and resolve potential conflicts. The representation
will also examine allegations of human rights violations, provide
an expert and impartial analysis, and inform  governments on
actual conditions in Estonia. The Council stated that it is aware
of the specific problems which have arisen in northeast Estonia
and the misunderstandings caused by implementation of the
citizenship and language laws. In an interview to the Estonian
"Postimees" daily, Estonian Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste
stated that he views the decision positively and stated that out
of the six diplomats to arrive in Estonia, two will reside in
Tallinn, two will go to Kohtla-Ja"rve and two to Narva.

Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt also discussed the Baltics in
his presentation on December 10, stating that the presence of
occupational troops on the territory of sovereign states is
contrary to international laws. "Five months after the acceptance
of the 1992 Helsinki Final Act, which calls for the speedy,
orderly and complete withdrawal of troops, their withdrawal has
begun, yet much remains to do," said Mr Bildt.

During the conference Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev
shocked delegates with a speech that seemed to mark a new cold
war and a return to Soviet-style foreign policy. Estonia reacted
to this quickly, stating that the wheels of history cannot be
turned back, that a new Soviet Union or Russian empire will not
be reborn and that Estonia cannot be steered off the road leading
to democracy and the market economy.

Mr Velliste stressed the importance of the meeting in developing
and maintaining ties with the foreign ministers of other states.
Whereas Estonia has mainly concentrated on talks with Western
states or Russia, the meeting provided an opportunity to
strengthen ties with the other states of central Europe such as
Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the Czech republic.

At the meeting, Russia presented a memorandum reiterating their
allegations of human rights violations against Russian-speaking
residence in Estonia and Latvia. In a less antagonistic tone, the
memorandum also states that the new Estonian Government
understands the seriousness of the Russian-speaking community's
problems and displays a willingness to apply methods to correct
the situation.

    ESTONIA PARTICIPATES IN NACC FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING

On December 18, Estonian Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste,
Director of the Foreign Ministry Political Department Toivo
Klaar, Estonian Ambassador to the NACC Clyde Kull and other
Estonian officials participated in the North Atlantic Cooperation
Council meeting of Foreign Ministers in Vienna. In addition to
NATO member states, the meeting was also attended by former
Warsaw Pact member states, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and
Albania. An article in the conference's final document, stating
that the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Baltic states
cannot be tied with other issues and must not be delayed, was
approved after last minute negotiations with the Baltic states
and Russia. At a press conference following his return to
Estonia, Mr Velliste expressed his pleasure with the cooperation
displayed by the three Baltic states at the conference.

    LITHUANIAN ACTING PRESIDENT ON WORKING VISIT TO ESTONIA

Lithuanian president Algirdas Brazauskas visited Estonian
on December 15 and met with Estonian President Lennart Meri and
Prime Minister Mart Laar. Mr Brazauskas and Mr Meri signed a
united appeal to the CSCE regarding the withdrawal of Russian
troops from the Baltic states. The appeal, which will hopefully
gain the support and signatures of the Latvian and Russian
presidents, requests CSCE economic aid for the construction of
housing for troops returning to Russia. This would speed the
withdrawal of troops and ease social problems facing soldiers
upon their return to Russia. During the visit, Mr Brazauskas
expressed his hope that the three Baltic states would, in the
near future, work out concrete plans to revise economic
cooperation, especially in the field of energy. Estonian Prime
Minister Mart Laar stated that he would like to see an end to the
customs regime between the Baltic states, but first both Latvia
and Lithuania must secure control of their Eastern borders. Mr
Laar also viewed economic, agricultural and cultural exchanges
as the main areas of Estonian-Lithuanian cooperation.

                 ESTONIAN-RUSSIAN NEGOTIATIONS

Round seven of the Estonian-Russian negotiations came to a
successful close on December 17 with the initialisation of four
inter-governmental agreements. The agreements deal with mutual
aid and cooperation for individuals wishing to remigrate to their
homeland, mutual cooperation to guarantee pensions for retired
Russian military personnel in Estonia, the transfer of
hydrographic services to Estonian control and the operation of
control points along the two states' administrative border.

At a press conference following the negotiations, chairs of both
the Russian and Estonian side stated their pleasure with the
outcome of the talks. Russian Ambassador Vassili Svirin was
satisfied by the social guarantees that will be extended to
Russian military personnel in Estonia and Estonian Minister
without portfolio Ju"ri Luik was also pleased, as Estonia will
resume control of it's maritime navigation systems, allowing
ships to travel securely in Estonian waters. However,
Mr Svirin stated that the positions of the two parties regarding
troop withdrawal deadline were far from united.

The delegations will meet for the next round of talks on January
14-15 in Moscow.

Commenting on the negotiations at a press conference on December
19, Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste said that rapid results
from negotiations are unrealistic, but the small steps taken are
nonetheless steps forward. He also stated that arriving at an
agreed date for the withdrawal of troops is difficult due to the
political situation in Russia.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

forwarded without comment by
the observer
Tapani Hietaniemi, Universitas Helsingiensis
                   urbs fennorum