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Subject:      RFE/RL Daily Report 25 JAN, 1993

The RFE/RL Daily Report is a digest of the latest developments
in Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia, and Central 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 1993 RFE/RL,
Inc.


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               RFE/RL Daily Report

                                  No. 15, 25 January 1993


                             RUSSIA

CIVIC UNION VS YELTSIN; RUTSKOI VS FURTHER RAIDS AGAINST IRAQ.
Arkadii Volsky, leader of the Civic Union, said that he is
"frightened" by the haste Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin took
in recently reversing his decision on reestablishing price
controls on many basic goods, Interfax reported on 23 January.
The industrial lobby criticized the government for trying to
artificially radicalize reforms. Another leader of the Civic
Union, Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi, criticized Russia's
policy in the Persian Gulf telling a RFE/RL correspondent on 23
January that Russia should veto any UN Security Council decision
that will lead to further military action against Iraq.
Alexander Rahr, RFE/RL, Inc.

RUSSIAN NATIONALISTS SUPPORT SERBIA. Dozens of prominent Russian
nationalist activists, including the writer Aleksandr Prokhanov,
the journalist Aleksandr Nevzorov, academician Igor Shafarevich,
the former dissident Vladimir Osipov, Pamyat leader Dmitrii
Vasilev, head of the Russian Congress Aleksandr Sterligov,
leaders of the National Salvation Front, Ilya Konstantinov,
Gennadii Zyuganov and others, have signed an appeal to the
Russian people calling for support for the Serbs. The appeal,
published in Pravda on 21 January, referred to the war in former
Yugoslavia as an intervention into the Slavic world and stated
the need to send volunteers to fight on the side of the Serbs.
It called upon the Russian parliament to remove Russian Foreign
Minister Andrei Kozyrev from office for his "anti-Slav policy."
Alexander Rahr, RFE/RL, Inc.

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE REMAIN AT ODDS OVER NUCLEAR WEAPONS.  The
leaders of the four ex-Soviet states where strategic nuclear
weapons are stationed--Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and
Ukraine--could not agree on the ownership of these weapons at the
CIS summit in Minsk on 22 January.  Russia claims them, Belarus
agrees, and Kazakhstan seems willing to accept this, but Ukraine
will not.  Ukrainian First Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Bizhan
told ITAR-TASS that the 23 May 1992 Lisbon Protocol, which
committed the four states to the START-1 treaty, named each of
them as successor states of the USSR, and not just Russia.
Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev told Interfax that Russian
and Ukrainian military experts would start verifying the
composition of the strategic nuclear forces in Ukraine on 26
January.  He hoped that these bilateral talks would led to a
compromise so that the CIS heads of states could approve the
document on CIS strategic forces at their next summit.  Doug
Clarke, RFE/RL, Inc.

RUSSIAN DEMONSTRATORS CONFRONT UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES IN
SEVASTOPOL. Interfax reported on 24 January that hundreds of
Russian demonstrators were demanding the removal of the city's
Ukrainian presidential representative. A leader of the Republican
Movement of the Crimea, the movement that organized the protest,
told the demonstrators that the population of Sevastopol was
engaged in a psychological war with its Ukrainian leaders. Other
speakers called on the Russian parliament to place Sevastopol
under Russia's jurisdiction.  Hal Kosiba, RFE/RL, Inc.

RUSSIAN BLACK SEA OFFICERS SPEAK OUT. Russian officers of the
Black Sea fleet held a meeting in Sevastopol on 21 January and
demanded that the "economic blockade" of the fleet be lifted and
its material and technical problems be immediately solved.
According to an Interfax report, the officers condemned the
actions of Rear Admiral Boris Khozin, the commander of the
Ukrainian Navy, which they claimed served to destabilize the
fleet. Because of the "conduct of the general staff of the
Ukrainian Navy" they demanded that the fleet headquarters be
moved away from Sevastopol. On 23 January, the Commander of the
Russian Navy in an interview in Nezavisimaya gazeta expressed
concern over the continuing uncertainty regarding the fleet. He
suggested that many problems could be resolved if the fleet's
officers and NCOs were granted dual citizenship.  Doug Clarke and
John Lepingwell, RFE/RL, Inc.

NEW TENSION IN BLACK SEA FLEET. A platoon of Black Sea Fleet
naval infantry on a training mission the night of 21/22 January
mistook a Ukrainian air defense facility near Sevastopol for one
of their own units and created a brief uproar when they assaulted
the facility with dummy arms and ammunition.  ITAR-TASS on 22
January announced that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet naval
infantry commander had apologized to the colonel in charge of the
Ukrainian air defense brigade.  Nevertheless, the press center of
the Ukrainian naval forces issued a protest, and warned sailors
of the Black Sea Fleet to be on their guard against
"provocations," Ukrainian TV reported on 22 January.  Relations
were not so calm at the Black Sea Fleet base at Izmail, a river
port on the Danube along the border with Romania. Mayak Radio on
23 January reported that tension was growing in that garrison
after a group of officers and warrant officers, who earlier had
taken an oath of allegiance to Ukraine, seized a local fleet
depot.  Doug Clarke and Bohdan Nahaylo, RFE/RL, Inc.

PROGRESS OF PRIVATIZATION IN RUSSIA. Anatolii Chubais, the
Russian deputy prime minister in charge of privatization, told
Interfax on 22 January that progress had been mixed in 1992.
Whereas it had been planned to sell off half of the state-owned
firms and enterprises by the end of the year, only 19% or 47,000
units had been privatized.  Chubais attributed this shortfall to
bureaucratic problems in processing the necessary documents. The
total of 156 billion rubles was realized from the sales.
Although Chubais claimed that this was nearly twice as much as
had been projected, the figure was apparently couched in current
prices and was therefore much less in real terms than the target
total.  Keith Bush, RFE/RL, Inc.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF RUSSIA CALLS FOR EARLIER ELECTIONS.  Leaders
of the Democratic Party of Russia, which is part of the Civic
Union, said they wanted the following question added to the 11
April referendum: "Do you think that the nation-wide presidential
and parliamentary elections should be held earlier on a
multi-party basis?" Interfax reported on 22 January.  The
referendum will serve as a vote to decide which principles will
be adopted in the new constitution.  The Democratic Party leaders
claimed that the earlier elections were necessary, because
Yeltsin created unconstitutional structures, putting his own
close associates in charge of them. The agency also reported that
the position of the Democratic Party of Russia was approved by
another member-party of the Civic Union--the People's Party of
Free Russia. The Democratic Party will reportedly try to get
support on this issue from other members of the Civic Union.
According to the current schedule, Russia's parliamentary
elections will take place in 1995, whereas presidential elections
will be held in 1996.  Vera Tolz, RFE/RL, Inc.

NEW PARLIAMENTARY MEDIA COMMITTEE CHAIR ELECTED.  Vladimir Lisin
was elected chairman of the parliamentary committee on the media
at the 22 January sitting of the Russian parliament, various
Russian media reported.  The post had fallen vacant after the
appointment of the previous incumbent, Vyacheslav Bragin, to head
the Ostankino Broadcasting Company. Lisin is a member of the
conservative "Rossiia" faction in the parliament and, before
becoming a people's deputy, had worked as a local correspondent
for Pravda.  Reporting his appointment, Radio Rossii predicted
conflict between Lisin and the members of the media committee,
who had proposed another candidate for chairman. Commenting on
Lisin's election, a committee member suggested that parliament
might in future attempt further to curtail the independence of
the media committee by dissolving it in its current form.  Wendy
Slater, RFE/RL, Inc.

                          INTERREGIONAL

SEVEN STATES SIGN CIS CHARTER. At the one-day summit of CIS heads
of states in Minsk on 22 January, seven states signed the draft
CIS charter, albeit some with reservations, ITAR-TASS reported.
As anticipated, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, and Moldova did not sign,
but all ten states signed a declaration in which they reaffirmed
their participation in the Commonwealth and their adherence to
its general principles.  President Yeltsin said that the main
thing was that the declaration allowed those states that had not
signed to sign any time.  In a gesture to Ukraine the declaration
states that economic questions are the most important at present.
Yeltsin seems to have been well pleased with this compromise and
decided to postpone submission of his plans for strengthening the
Commonwealth until the next summit in Erevan on 30 April.  Ann
Sheehy, RFE/RL, Inc.

AGREEMENT ON INTERSTATE BANK, DEFENSE OF TAJIK-AFGHAN FRONTIER.
The most important concrete result of the summit was the
signature of an agreement on setting up an interstate bank which
will simplify transactions between member-states.  To reach
agreement, however, the non-Russian member-states had to agree to
Russia control of the issuance of currency and also to Russia's
having 50% of the vote on the bank's board.  Discussion of the
situation in Tajikistan resulted in the five other states that
signed the collective security agreement agreeing to send a
battalion each to help defend the Tajik-Afghan frontier. At the
same time they made plain that in time Tajikistan should be able
to defend the frontier itself. A number of other agreements were
signed at the summit, but little progress seems to have been made
on the creation of a CIS economic court or a declaration on human
rights, to which Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have
objected.  Ann Sheehy, RFE/RL, Inc.

                  TRANSCAUCASIA & CENTRAL ASIA

CIS PEACEKEEPERS FOR TAJIKISTAN.  Imomali Rakhmonov, Chairman of
Tajikistan's Supreme Soviet, told Interfax on 24 January that
four CIS motorized infantry battalions are to arrive in Dushanbe
within the next ten days.  The decision to send CIS peacekeepers
to Tajikistan was taken at the CIS summit on 22 January.
Rakhmonov echoed statements of participants in the summit who saw
the need for CIS intervention in Tajikistan primarily in terms of
protecting the border with Afghanistan. Rakhmonov also reported
that Kazakhstan will provide 400,000 tons of grain to Tajikistan
in 1993 to overcome the acute food shortage that has resulted
from the neglect of agriculture during the 1992 fighting. Russia
has promised food, medicine and fuel.  Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.

RED CROSS SUPPLIES TO SOUTHERN TAJIKISTAN. The International Red
Cross has sent four truckloads of food and medical supplies to
southern Tajikistan where hunger has driven residents to eat
fodder grain, resulting in some 6,500 cases of hepatitis,
Interfax reported on 22 January.  On 24 January First Deputy
Chairman of Tajikistan's Supreme Soviet Abdulmadzhid Dostiev told
Interfax that Afghan authorities refused to grant official status
to a commission he heads that is supposed to ensure the return to
Tajikistan of the thousands of Tajik refugees who have fled to
Afghanistan. Western reports from the Tajik-Afghan border region
indicate that repression of persons suspected of pro-Islamic or
opposition sympathies is continuing.  Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc.

GAS PIPELINE EXPLOSION IN GEORGIA CUTS SUPPLIES TO ARMENIA.
ITAR-TASS reported on 23 January that the destruction of a gas
pipeline in Georgia had cut Armenia's gas supply in half. As a
result of the gas cut-off, in Erevan on 23 January newspapers did
not come out, the subway system did not open, and state radio
remained silent.  It was estimated that it would take at least
two weeks to repair the pipeline. Georgian officials have not yet
determined the cause of the explosion.  Hal Kosiba, RFE/RL, Inc.

                   CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

CROATIAN OFFENSIVE IN KRAJINA.  Breaking a year-long truce, on 22
January Croatian forces launched an offensive against Serb-held
areas near the coast of southwest Croatia. The action sparked
condemnation from the UN and threats of intervention by the
federal Yugoslav army. Croatian President Franjo Tudjman told UN
mediators in Geneva that the intention is not to seize large
areas of Serb-held territory but only to secure a site for a
bridge linking northern and southern Croatia.  Zagreb has
expressed increasing impatience to regain about one-third of the
territory it lost to the Serbs who unilaterally declared the
creation of the Krajina Republic in December 1991. After the
Croat attack Serb commanders in the Krajina announced a general
mobilization and reminded the federal Yugoslav army of its
promise to intervene if Serbs came under threat. Yugoslav army
chief of staff Gen. Zivota Panic wrote UN commander Gen.  Satish
Nambiar warning that the Yugoslav army is ready to intervene.
Serbian forces also raided UN protected weapons storage depots in
Croatia seizing tanks and artillery pieces.  Radios Croatia and
Serbia carried the reports.  Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL, Inc.

TUDJMAN SAYS OFFENSIVE IS OVER. On 24 January fighting was
reported heavy around Zadar and UN officials expressed concern of
an escalation of the conflict and that it might affect the
outcome of the Bosnian peace process in Geneva. Later that day,
Tudjman said the offensive is over and that more than 120 Serbs
and 10 Croats had died. The deputy prime minister of the rump
Yugoslavia, Radoje Kontic, placed the toll higher saying that 500
civilians and 150 Serb militiamen had been killed. Yugoslav
President Dobrica Cosic in a letter sent to the UN Security
Council, wrote "we are now at a turning point, either towards
peace or total war. " Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL, Inc.

BOSNIA PEACE TALKS RESUME. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic
stated on 24 January that many things regarding the maps of the
future division of Bosnia-Herzegovina have now been clarified.
The internationally-mediated talks that resumed on 23 January in
Geneva produced an agreement that the Muslims, Serbs, and Croats
continue discussion over the boundaries of the ten provinces on
25 January. Karadzic claimed Bosnian Serbs and Croats "patiently
and in a satisfactory way negotiated" over their boundaries.  The
Muslims, however, remain unsatisfied.  Alija Izetbegovic, Muslim
leader and president of Bosnia, said he cannot accept these
boundaries because they are conducive to "ethnic division, or
more precisely, to ethnic cleansing." A political adviser to
Cyrus Vance said on 24 January that a "certain shift had been
achieved and it was worthwhile to preserve an obviously existent
favorable climate at the negotiations." Radios Bosnia and Serbia
carried the reports.  Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL, Inc.

BELGRADE RELEASES ROMANIAN SHIPS. The Romanian Transport Ministry
announced on 22 January that authorities in Belgrade have
released three Romanian tugboats with their barges after
detaining them for three weeks in apparent retaliation for
Romania's enforcement of UN sanctions against the rump Yugoslav
state. In a statement broadcast by Radio Bucharest, the ministry
said that three other vessels are waiting for permission to leave
Yugoslav ports. The developments came a day after the Serbian
tugboat Bihac, towing six barges, managed to continue through
Romanian waters by threatening to blow up a cargo of 6,000 tons
of fuel if stopped.  On 23 January three more Serbian tugboats
and 24 barges left the Romanian port of Braila, claiming that
they were returning to Reni, Ukraine, where they were loaded.
Later they changed direction, heading for Yugoslavia. Dan
Ionescu, RFE/RL, Inc.

"REGULAR" BORDER WITH SLOVAKIA. Czech Interior Minister Jan Ruml
said in an interview with Czech TV on 23 January that the border
between the Czech Republic and Slovakia should "have the same
character as the one with Austria, Germany, and Poland." Ruml
argued that until there is a "real Czech-Slovak border," it is
impossible for the Czech Republic to have all attributes of a
fully sovereign state. He made it clear that such a measure will
not be directed against citizens from Slovakia, but against
citizens from third countries.  Ruml also announced that his
ministry, along with the Czech Ministry of Defense, is prepared
to close down the border with Slovakia immediately, in case the
Czech government decides on the end of monetary union between the
two republics. Czech Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Kocarnik
explained that such a measure could become necessary to avoid
"speculative transfers of money" between the Czech Republic and
Slovakia.  Lidova demokracie reported on 23 January that the
republics will introduce separate currencies on 6 and 7 February.
Jan Obrman , RFE/RL, Inc.

CONTROVERSY OVER SLOVAK COURT APPOINTMENTS. First Deputy Chairman
of the Slovak Parliament, Peter Weiss, criticized Prime Minister
Vladimir Meciar for naming judges to the Constitutional Court
last week in the absence of a state president.  Meciar responded
by telling Slovak Radio on 22 January that only the
Constitutional Court judges themselves can decide on whether his
decision to appoint them before a Slovak president is elected is
constitutional or not.  According to a law adopted by Parliament
on 20 January, however, Constitutional Court judges are barred
from ruling on cases that involve their own interests.  Moreover,
Parliament passed a resolution on 21 January asking the
government to postpone any decision on the naming of the judges
for the time being. Meciar made it clear that he paid tribute to
the parliament's recommendation by postponing the naming by two
hours.  He added that he selected the judges according to his
conscience and that the new judges commanded the support of the
different parties represented in parliament.  Jan Obrman, RFE/RL,
Inc.

PUNISH "DISINFORMATION," MECIAR SAYS.  In an interview with
Slovak Radio on 22 January, Meciar called for sanctions against
people "who knowingly and intentionally spread wrong information
about Slovakia and its government abroad." He warned that
Slovakia will soon adopt a new penal code that will introduce a
"totally new definition of punishable offenses." Meciar explained
that "if someone speaks of civil unrest, promotes fighting, or
calls for civil disobedience," it has nothing to do with freedom
of opinion. He added that "any society has the right to defend
its interests." Jan Obrman, RFE/RL, Inc.

CSURKA ON SLOVAK-HUNGARIAN BORDER.  In an interview published by
the Slovak daily Praca on 23 January, Istvan Csurka, the
outspoken former deputy chairman of the ruling Hungarian
Democratic Forum called for a change of the Slovak-Hungarian
border. Slovakia, he says, has changed the border unilaterally by
moving forward on the Gabcikovo hydroelectric project. Csurka
argued that the Yalta agreements will expire in 1995 and that it
will be necessary to start negotiating new ways of cooperation in
Europe, in which context it "will be possible to address the
question of borders." Csurka also expressed the opinion that the
Hungarian minority in Slovakia is oppressed and that, in general,
the situation of minorities in Hungary is better than that of
minorities in Slovakia. Meanwhile, Slovak Foreign Minister Milan
Knazko told journalists on 23 January that Slovakia has no
territorial claims against any neighbor. Jan Obrman, RFE/RL, Inc.

ANTALL REELECTED AS PARTY CHAIRMAN. MTI reported on 23 January
that Prime Minister Jozsef Antall was reelected unanimously over
an indirect extremist challenge by Istvan Csurka at the Hungarian
Democratic Forum's sixth national meeting.  Although Antall was
the only candidate, there had been speculation about a movement
to draft Istvan Csurka. In a speech that won stormy applause from
the delegates, Csurka said that real changes have not yet taken
place in Hungary and that all [political and economic]
transformations that have so far taken place could be reversed in
two hours' time.  Csurka also warned the delegates that if the
HDF does not institute more radical political changes, the
party's chances in the spring 1994 general elections will be
slim. Antall, in contrast, called for party unity, stressing that
Hungary's political transformation has already passed the most
difficult phase.  Antall's reconfirmation took place without a
direct clash between moderates and extremists, so the stalemate
between the center-right HDF moderates and the extremist Csurka
followers continues. Csurka was elected to sit in the 20-member
party presidium. The three-day meeting also endorsed an amended
party platform and operational regulations. Karoly Okolicsanyi,
RFE/RL, Inc.

POLISH GOVERNMENT LOSES PENSIONS VOTE. Confusion in the ranks of
the government coalition led to the defeat of a pension bill
considered essential to limiting the 1993 budget deficit. The
bill would have reduced the indexing of pensions from 100% to 91%
of the average wage. It had survived an earlier motion to dismiss
in December only because television cameras had captured footage
of deputies voting for absent colleagues, prompting a new ballot
on the issue.  Coalition forces voted down an initial attempt to
throw out the bill altogether on 23 January, by a margin of seven
votes.  But, after an amendment was approved raising the indexing
rate from 91% to 95%, coalition deputies lost their bearings and
a second vote to reject the bill passed by a margin of 145 to
129. Government officials said that 100% indexing would cost the
budget an unaffordable 13 trillion zloty ($823 million); sheepish
coalition deputies immediately submitted a new 91% pensions bill.
Louisa Vinton, RFE/RL, Inc.

SEJM ON HUMAN RIGHTS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT.  In other parliamentary
business the Sejm on 22 January voted to continue work on
President Lech Walesa's proposed human rights charter. It
rejected further consideration of an "economic rights charter"
backed by the postcommunist parties; most deputies felt the draft
charter offered social guarantees that even wealthy states can
ill afford. On 23 January the Sejm voted to pursue the
decentralization of state authority by restoring the
self-governing "powiat," the institution of local administration
that was dissolved in 1975. The government's plenipotentiary for
local administration issues pledged that pending "special powers"
will not be used to effect local government reforms.  Louisa
Vinton, RFE/RL, Inc.

SUCHOCKA CALLS COALITION TO ORDER.  Amidst interparty friction
and complaints of disorganization, Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka
called a meeting of coalition party leaders on 22 January.
Solidarity caucus leader Bogdan Borusewicz also attended.
According to Polish TV, Suchocka demanded greater autonomy in
personnel decisions.  "My decisions cannot simply be the sum of
the decisions of individual parties," Suchocka told reporters.
The coalition apparently agreed to Suchocka's request. Coalition
parties also offered unanimous support for the government's
request for decree power.  The prime minister denied rumors that
Justice Minister Zbigniew Dyka and Environment Minister Zygmunt
Hortmanowicz would be dismissed.  Still, cabinet changes may be
imminent, as Suchocka informed the coalition parties of her
criteria for assessing ministerial performance.  Louisa Vinton,
RFE/RL, Inc.

BULGARIA AND DECOMMUNIZATION. There have lately been conflicting
signals on which direction Bulgaria will go on the issue of
decommunization.  Prosecutor General Ivan Tatarchev told an
RFE/RL correspondent on 21 January that he is preparing "the case
of his life" against excommunists, whom he considers guilty of
"national treason." Tatarchev spoke of two "attempts to betray
Bulgaria," the first being the 1946 communist policy to persuade
citizens in southwest Bulgaria to declare themselves ethnic
Macedonians.  The second is former president Todor Zhivkov's
proposal to integrate Bulgaria with the USSR, for which Tatarchev
said he now has evidence. However, a 21 January parliamentary
decision to prohibit the disclosure of secret police files will
probably hamper decommunization efforts. According to the
amendment of the penal code, anybody who spreads information
related to the activities of the secret police can be sentenced
to three years in jail. In the case of a government official or
if the information is spread by mass media, the jail term may be
up to six years. The amendment also precludes the issuing of
documents proving that politicians and state officials never
collaborated with the State Security, a procedure introduced by
the previous government.  Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL, Inc.

UKRAINE AND THE CIS.  On 23 January Radio Ukraine reported that
the declaration signed by 10 countries taking part in the CIS
summit in Minsk was proposed by the Ukrainian delegation. The
version proposed by the Russian delegation, which is said to have
unequivocally supported the draft CIS charter, was rejected by
Ukraine, Turkmenistan, and Moldova. Ukraine argued that it did
not fully take into account the interests of the CIS member
states. The Ukrainian alternative, which emphasizes that an
economic agreement among the CIS member states should take
priority, was later signed by the 10 countries.  Roman Solchanyk
, RFE/RL, Inc.

UKRAINIAN REFORMISTS ACCUSE COMMUNISTS OF COUP ATTEMPT.  At a
press conference called by the democratic "People's Council"
fraction of Parliament on 21 January, participants characterized
developments in Parliament on 20 and 21 January as an "attempt at
a parliamentary coup" by former communists, DR-Press reported on
22 January. The latter are reported to have demanded that Ukraine
sign the CIS charter, legalize the banned Communist Party, and
reject the government of Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma and the
parliamentary presidium.  Roman Solchanyk , RFE/RL, Inc.

LEBED URGES TERRITORIAL CHANGES IN MOLDOVA. Lt.-Gen.  Aleksandr
Lebed, commander of Russia's 14th Army in Moldova, warned in
Pravda of 20 January that hostilities may resume "at any moment"
in the city of Bendery on the right bank of the Dniester and
called for a referendum to determine whether the city should
belong to Moldova or to the left-bank "Dniester republic".
Largely Russified under Soviet rule, Bendery is currently
controlled by the Russian insurgents who have pressured part of
the Moldovan population into leaving the city. At stake along
with the city is a large surrounding rural area on the right
bank, claimed by the "Dniester republic" and infiltrated by its
forces. In the same interview, Lebed called for the "Dniester
republic's" accession to the Russian Federation under a status
similar to that of Finland within Tsarist Russia. However, Lebed
strongly implied in his interview that the independence of
Moldova as a whole was only a temporary phenomenon and predicted
that the Moldovan leaders will face criminal prosecution.
Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL, Inc.

SWEDEN TO HELP FINANCE BALTIC NAVIES. At a 22 January Riga press
conference reported by Baltfax, the commander of the Latvian navy
announced that the Swedish government has decided to provide 10
million kronor ($1.4 million) to help restore the navies of the
three Baltic States. Gaidis Zeibots noted that Sweden has a
vested interest in these republics having strong maritime borders
in view of the recent incidents of refugees attempting to enter
Sweden after crossing the Baltic Sea. Zeibots was speaking just
prior to a meeting of naval officials from Estonia, Latvia, and
Lithuania who were scheduled to discuss naval cooperation among
the three.  Doug Clarke, RFE/RL, Inc.

CSCE COMMISSION CONCLUDES BALTIC VISIT. On 23 January a CSCE
delegation headed by High Commissioner on Minorities Max van der
Stoel ended its series of four-day visits to each of the Baltic
States and departed for Moscow, Baltfax reports.  Meetings were
held with the presidents of Estonia, Lennart Meri, Latvia,
Anatolijs Gorbunovs, and Lithuania, Algirdas Brazauskas, their
foreign ministers, and other parliamentarians and representatives
of the national minorities.  At a press conference in Vilnius Van
der Stoel said that the national minorities in Lithuania are in a
better position than in the other two republics because of the
citizenship law in that country. Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL, Inc.

LATVIAN JUSTICE MINISTER RESIGNS. On 19 January Viktors Skudra
handed his resignation to Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis, Baltic
media reported on 23 January.  Skudra, who will continue to
fulfill the ministerial duties until a replacement is found, said
that his resignation was prompted by what he termed as the
negative attitude of the government and parliament toward the
judiciary.  Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL, Inc.

[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled  by  Hal  Kosiba  and Charles Trumbull
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