X-Envelope-to: politics@ohstvma.BITNET
X-VMS-To: @VAL, @CIS, @POL
X-VMS-Cc: CDELL
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.politics
Date:         Fri, 31 Jul 1992 03:02:00 CST
From:         "VALENTINE M. SMITH" <CDELL@UMKCVAX1.BITNET>
Subject:      Russia, Germany, Bosnia, (#746)
Comments: To: val-l@ucf1vm.BITNET, jwales@iubvm.BITNET, olsenj@stolaf.edu,
              shlyakhter@huhepl.harvard.edu, kousen@rayleigh.res.utc.com,
              christic@igc.org, 76701.103@compuserve.com

Two days away from the fray, catching up on other projects and tasks,
sorry to have gotten distracted.

Russia-

Apparently, the Russians tired of the Honecker situation. Yesterday,
NPR reported that Russian and Chilean security guards "escorted
Honecker out of the Chilean embassy, took him to the airport, and put
him on a plane for Berlin." (see Germany, below).

General Volkogonov, KGB General, archivist involved in the Library of
Congress exhibit "Revelations From the Russian Archives," and head of
a commission in Russia in charge of finding out if American POWs have
been, or are still, incarcerated in Russia, admitted today that the
possibility did exist that such people might in fact have been there
after all, which up to now he had hedged heavily about, and disagreed
publicly with President Yeltsin about the existence of.

The Secretary of the new Russian Security Council, Yorii Skokov
reportedly told Russian TV three days ago that the "Interior
Ministry, the army and the former KGB" supported the Yeltsin
government, and that no one within Yeltsin's "entourage" "wants to
change the system by force," RFE/RL reported yesterday. This was
still another denial that a coup was lurking out there among the
possible anti-government forcs within the country.

The Soyuz flight reached the Mir space station yesterday, with two
cosmonauts and a French scientist.

The ruble fell to 161 at the Moscow Interbank Currency exchange 28
July, Rfe/Rl reported yesterday, while today it was reported that
June's average wage was 4400 rubles,  and that the minimum wage will
be raised from the 900 rubles it is now to 1350 in "late August."

Sergei Shakrai, apparently recovered from his recent car accident,
met with Gorbachev and requested his tstimony about the CPSU, its
role in last year's attempted coup, and its role since. Whether that
will occur or not remains to be seen.

Germany-

The one-time leader of East Germany, 79 year-old Erich Honecker, was
arrested yesterday for misuse of funds and and over forty counts of
manslaughter when he arrived at Berlin airport after 17 months of
"exile" in Moscow. His wife Margo left for Chile today.  Jailed, he
did not fight being kept in prison until coming to trial later this
year.

Bosnia-

NPR reported today that the fighting in Sarajevo was "the worst in
seven or eight weeks," with an incredible firepower being expended by
all sides. What appears to be going on is a fierce fight to "control
roads, bridges and buildings" in Goradze and Sarajevo at the least,
even as the towns are being destroyed.

Yesterday, 61 nations met to discuss the urgent refugee situation,
said to now number 2 million outside "Yugoslavia." France, Britain,
the US and others want refugees to stay as close to their dying
homeland as possible. With 10,000 refugees a day, the situation is
rapidly getting out of hand. Yet, the Americans argued from the
position that the refugees should not be aided very much, for to do
so would be to aid the (agreed) insidious "ethnic cleansing policies"
of the Serbs.

Rather than work vigorously towards a political solution to the war,
which is causing the refugee problem, eevrybody who COULD do somthing
are now dithering about the refugees, and whether aiding them aids
the Serbian "ethnic cleansing" business. Unbelievable! These people
should get help because they need it, deal with the Serbs and their
insane racial policy (which the Croatians and Muslims would impose
too if they had but a chance, espcially in Bosnia) separately. Most
of the refugees are victims alreasy, why victimize them again just so
as to not "aid" their victimizers?  VMS
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU