From: thietaniemi@cc.helsinki.fi
Subject: ESTONIAN news: end of December
Organization: University of Helsinki
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 15:14:51 GMT

Some news I forward from Tallinn & Tartu:

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>
>                     21.12.1992 - 30.12.1992
>                   
>
>            EC RATIFIES TRADE AGREEMENT WITH ESTONIA
>
> The European Parliament ratified an agreement on trade, business
> and economic cooperation between the EC and Estonia on December
> 22. The EC Commission Secretary General handed over an act of
> notification signed by the President of the EC Commission and
> Great Britain's foreign minister Douglas Hurd, to the Estonian
> Ambassador to the European Community Clyde Kull. The agreement
> foresees elimination of almost all restrictions and limitations
> on trade by the EC and enables Estonia to establish necessary
> market protection in the GATT framework. The agreement will take
> effect 2 months after ratification by Estonia. The Riigikogu will
> take up the issue of ratification in January.
>
>                            RIIGIKOGU
>
> On December 22, the Riigikogu decided that the automotive
> insurance law requiring all vehicles to be insured, will take
> effect July 1, 1993. The rates will be 30 kroons a month and will
> cover damages sustained by the innocent party in case of
> accidents.
>                            *   *   *
> The extraordinary session of the Riigikogu on December 28 was off
> to a slow start after members of the opposition boycotted the
> Riigikogu for three hours. The protest was in response to the
> draft Law on Alcohol Excise Tax, which the opposition stated
> would legalise the sale of dangerous and impure spirits and would
> not protect the Estonian market from low quality foreign liquors.
> However, the parliamentary coalition "Pro-Patria" stated that
> those accusations are groundless and that delays in passing cost
> the state 20 to 35 million kroons a month in potential revenues.
> The ruling coalition managed to summon enough members of
> parliament in order to bring the issue to vote. The resolution
> passed and the work of the Riigikogu continued with the full
> participation of all parties.
>                            *   *   *
> On December 28, the Riigikogu accepted the conditions of two
> foreign loans to be taken by the Estonian government. The loans
> include a USD 5 million loan from the United States and a DEM
> 73.5 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and
> Development. A loan for USD 20 million from the Japanese Export
> and Import Bank failed to get the necessary support and was not
> accepted.
>
>            125 ILLEGAL REFUGEES DETAINED IN ESTONIA
>
> On December 21, 125 Kurds illegally residing in Estonia were
> detained in the resort costal town of Pa"rnu, Estonia. They had
> arrived in the hopes of illegally immigrating to Sweden or
> Finland as political refugees. Head of the Command Centre of the
> National Border Guard,  Aare Evisalu, believes that there are at
> least two groups that deal in the smuggling of refugees to
> scandinavian countries.
>
> The refugees, comprised of 60 men, 25 women and 40 children, were
> brought to Tallinn on December 22 and given shelter under police
> supervision, where they continue to be held. The majority of the
> Kurds demanded asylum in either Estonia or Sweden, and have
> refused to leave Estonia. As of December 30, fourteen have left
> for Latvia. Since Estonia does not have the facilities or the
> experience to deal with such issues, the government contacted the
> Nordic representation of the UN Commission on Refugees in
> Stockholm, who sent a representative to Estonia and have promised
> material aid to establish an internment camp in Estonia. The
> Estonian government has decided to deport the Kurds back to
> Russia and Latvia, states from where they entered Estonia.
> Negotiations will be undertaken in order to coordinate this act.
>                           *   *   *
> The Estonian Migration Board has restricted the entry to Estonia
> of individuals carrying Iraqi, Iranian or Somalian passports. In
> accordance with a decree by the director of the Migration Board
> Andres Kollist, only three individuals a day from the above
> mentioned category will be allowed to enter Estonia. Individuals
> travelling with an Iraqi, Iranian or Somalian passport who have
> Latvian or Lithuanian visas and attempt to enter Estonia must
> now, in addition, have an Estonian visa. Border officials will
> also strengthen checks for the authenticity of documents.
>
>        BALTIC STATES APPEAL FOR ATOMIC POLICY ASSISTANCE
>
> On December 28, the energy ministers of Estonia, Latvia and
> Lithuania signed an appeal to 15 European, North American and
> Asian states, in addition to the World Bank and the European Bank
> for Reconstruction and Development, requesting that an
> international work group be established to develop an atomic
> energy policy in the Baltic region. The appeal also requests that
> the Baltic states' electric network be connected to the West
> European energy system. During the meeting the three ministers
> also discussed the supply of fuels and the methods of payment for
> electrical energy.
>
>     ESTONIAN AND RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS DISCUSS COOPERATION
>
> On December 26, Estonian and Russian border guards held a
> consultative meeting at Jaanilinn (Ivangorod), on the Russian
> side of the administrative border. Issues discussed included ways
> to improve cooperation between the two groups, first and foremost
> in the battle against contraband and the narcotics and firearms
> trade. Representatives from the Russian Kingiseppa Border Guard
> unit, the Estonian Border Guard's Eastern Virumaa headquarters
> and the Narva Border Post Commissioner Juri Tistenk participated
> in the conference.
>
>         PRIVATISATION ENTERPRISE TO BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS
>
> The Estonian Privatisation Enterprise received 103 tenders for
> Estonia's first international privatisation bid which accepted
> tenders from November 17 to December 22. There are 38 large
> enterprises scheduled for privatisation. The Estonian
> Privatisation Enterprise will now contact the firms who have
> submitted offers and will begin the first phase of negotiations
> in January, which will last for 20 days. The results of the
> programme should be settled within 90 days.
>
>           TASK FORCE TO FIGHT CORRUPTION ESTABLISHED
>
> According to the prime minister's councillor, Tiit Pruuli, the
> government has formed a work group to investigate possible
> corruption within government departments. The work group was
> formed as a result of recent information received by the Security
> Police and recent allegations of corruption made by the press.
> Mr Pruuli did not elaborate on the specific forms of corruption
> to be investigated or the means of investigation.
>
>                   ESTONIAN SOLDIERS PROMOTED
>
> On December 30, ten Estonian serviceman were ceremoniously
> promoted to junior officers by the Estonian Defence Force's
> Senior Captain Ants Laaneots. The ten were recent graduates of
> the Lappenranta Military Academy in Finland. The Finnish defence
> ministry has promised schooling to other Estonian officers in
> 1993.
>
>           NEW ESTONIAN MINT TO CIRCULATE IN NEW YEAR
>
> On January 1, 1993, the Bank of Estonia, in accordance with
> Article 2 of the Law on Currency, will put into circulation a new
> 1 kroon coin. According to the Bank of Estonia, the coin will
> carry Estonia's Coat of Arms on one side; the other side will
> display "Eesti Vabariik" and the value, 1 kroon. The coin's
> diameter is 23.35 millimetres and weighs 5.44 grams.
>

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Life in Freedom
Eesti Vabaks            Bri/vu Latviju           Lietuva Laisva



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