From: thietaniemi@cc.helsinki.fi (Tapani Hietaniemi)
Subject: ESTONIAN news; end of Jan (foreign policy)
Organization: University of Helsinki
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 15:48:01 GMT

Forwarding Estonian news again:
note that the first piece of news is about the citizenship issue:
the Council of Europe representants say that the non-citizens
of Estonia should understand that they can't receive the
citizenship automatically.

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         Estonian news-review 18.01.93 - 24.01.93

 COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE HOLDS SESSION IN TALLINN
         NEW CANADIAN AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS
       ESTONIA AND RUSSIA SIGN COMMUNICATIONS AGREEMENTS
       OIL TANKER RUNS AGROUND NEAR PALJASSAARE, ESTONIA
     PRIME MINISTER PROMISES TO MAKE PALDISKI AN OPEN TOWN
        EXPERTS MEETING OF BALTIC SEA COUNTRIES ASSESS
                  NUCLEAR REACTOR AT PALDISKI
                 MAJOR ARMS THEFT IN PALDISKI
       ESTONIA FEARS EXPLOSIVES LEFT BEHIND BY RUSSIANS
     ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES REPRESENTATIVES OF
                  FRENCH CO-OPERATION MISSION
      ESTONIAN MINISTER OF ENERGY THANKS SWEDEN FOR FUEL

                     
                         

  COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE HOLDS SESSION IN TALLINN

A session of the committee on relations with European non-
member states of the Council of Europe was held on January 19-
20 in Tallinn. According to David Atkinson, chairman of the
committee, Estonia may become full member of the Council of
Europe by the end of 1993. Mr Atkinson said that Estonia's new
Constitution and parliamentary elections are up to the high
demands put by the Council of Europe before a new member. Mr
Atkinson expressed hope that Estonia would also manage to
resolve the problems of citizenship and said non-citizens must
understand that it is impossible to grant them citizenship
automatically. Members of the committee met with Prime
Minister Mart Laar, President Lennart Meri, speaker of the
Riigikogu U"lo Nugis as well as representatives of the
national minorities. The committee visited an ex-Soviet
military base, left by the Russians, on Viimsi peninsula
outside Tallinn.

         NEW CANADIAN AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

Canadian Ambassador to Estonia Michael Burke Phillips, on
January 21, presented his credentials to President Lennart
Meri. During his stay in Estonia, Mr Phillips met with
Estonian Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste, who gave a survey
of the priorities of Estonian foreign policy; the most
important being Russian troop withdrawal, rejoining Europe and
specifically integration into the Nordic region. Mr Phillips
is also the Canadian Ambassador to Sweden and resides in
Stockholm.

       ESTONIA AND RUSSIA SIGN COMMUNICATIONS AGREEMENTS

Estonia and Russia on January 19 signed a number of framework
agreements on communications which will be taken as a basis by
joint working groups in negotiations over the forms of
cooperation, said the Estonian Minister of Roads and
Communication Andi Meister. Mr Meister and his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Bulgak signed a document on close
cooperation in the communications sphere and another on
contacts concerning telecommunications and postal services.
Also signed was an agreement on radio frequencies.

       OIL TANKER RUNS AGROUND NEAR PALJASSAARE, ESTONIA

On the evening of January 16, a 60-meter-long tanker "Kihnu"
carrying 1,000 tons of heating oil and 460 tons of heating oil
ran aground near Paljassaare, Tallinn. The ship hit rocks just
a few hundred meters offshore, which caused an estimated 30-60
tons of fuel and 5-6 tons of heating oil to leak into the sea
from holes in the tanker. Removal of the remaining fuel began
on January 19, when a Finnish rescue service helicopter helped
place a powerful pump on board the tanker, and a pipeline was
drawn between the "Kihnu" and tanks on shore. Estonian and
Finnish rescue services participated in the rescue operation
and clean-up.

At a press conference on January 19, the Estonian Minister of
Environment Andres Tarand said that the "Kihnu" accident
showed how little attention Estonia has paid to the problem of
rescue equipment. The minister declined to estimate the cost
of the damage caused by the oil tanker accident.

The pumping of heating oil out of the tanker was completed on
the morning of January 21. Officials expected to gather most
of the fuel on the bay's surface with the help of Finnish
rescue ships. The ship was pulled off the shoal on January 21.
A commission led by the Tallinn region harbour master Kaarli
Noor will investigate the accident.

     PRIME MINISTER PROMISES TO MAKE PALDISKI AN OPEN TOWN

Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar says his government is going
to do everything to make the ex-Soviet naval base town of
Paldiski, some 30 km west of Tallinn, an open town again.
"Local residents, businessmen, municipal authorities as well
as the Russian servicemen -- are all interested to have the
border between Estonia and Paldiski abolished, " Mr Laar
added. Mr Laar and Minister without portfolio (of Estonian-
Russian negotiations) Ju"ri Luik, along with accompanying
officials, visited Paldiski on January 18 to gain a first-hand
view of the nuclear reactor at the submarine training base in
Paldiski. Russia has stated that dismantlement of the reactor
will be possible only by 1999. Deputy Commander of the
Paldiski training centre for submarines

Boriss Borissov confirmed to Estonian government
representatives that it is possible to take the uranium rods
of the reactor out of Estonia by 1994. The training centre
will start moving away in February.

Mr Laar said he would raise the issue of opening the town at a
meeting with Russian Vice-Admiral Yuri Belov, leader of the
military garrison in Tallinn. According to the prime minister,
Paldiski is one of the best natural harbours in the Baltic Sea
and has attracted the interest of many foreign businessmen. Mr
Laar also said he will do everything to aid the establishment
of a customs checkpoint in Paldiski. Local residents have
alleged that the Russian military has been transporting both
timber and metals illegally out of Estonia through Paldiski's
port.

        EXPERTS MEETING OF BALTIC SEA COUNTRIES ASSESS
                  NUCLEAR REACTOR AT PALDISKI

A final meeting of the working party for nuclear safety of the
Committee of Senior Officials with the Council of the Baltic
Sea States met in Helsinki on January 21-22 and classified the
Paldiski nuclear reactors as objects needing international
experts' supervision to assess the level of danger. The group
reviewed photos and video taken during the Estonian Prime
Minister's visit to Paldiski. Estonia was represented in
Helsinki by Foreign Ministry adviser Mark Sinisoo and a
researcher at the Institute of Hydrometeorology, Enn Putnik.


                 MAJOR ARMS THEFT IN PALDISKI

On January 17, 43 assault rifles, 261 automatic pistols, a
heavy machine gun, 165 flares and over 5,000 rounds of
ammunition were stolen from a Russian Army depot in Paldiski.
The theft, the largest in recent history, is being
investigated by the Russian military authorities who are not
interested in cooperating with the Estonian police, Harju
county Police Prefect Kalju Jaanisoo announced. He did not
rule out the possibility of a staged theft as the depot was
supposed to be heavily guarded. Estonian police officials
suspect certain Russian military as well as local residents.

       ESTONIA FEARS EXPLOSIVES LEFT BEHIND BY RUSSIANS

Large quantities of live and outdated explosives are presently
in Estonia under the administration of the Russian Army,
threatening the stability of the surrounding area, the Foreign
Ministry reported on January 20. According to unofficial
reports, there are over 3,000 naval mines on the island of
Naissaar, just off the coast of Tallinn. The amount of
ammunition at other Russian military bases cannot be
estimated, as the Russian military has refused to disclose
data and has refused entry to the bases.

There are fears that while under Russian supervision the
explosives, some of which date back to the Russian-Japanese
war (1904), may be stolen or accidentally detonated. Security
measures at the depots are lax which add to the fears. These
problems may be solved only after the depots have been handed
over to the Estonian authorities. Although the National Rescue
Board has trained individuals capable of defusing the
explosives, international experts should be solicited to deal
with such a large quantity. The explosives may either be
destroyed or recycled for sale or use.

     ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES REPRESENTATIVES OF
                  FRENCH CO-OPERATION MISSION


Estonian Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste on January 20
received the delegation of French ministries' mission for
promoting co-operation with East and Central European
countries (MICECO). The delegation was led by Christiane
Arnould. Mr Velliste gave the guests a survey of the principal
co-operation projects of Estonia and France (the Tallinn Water
Purifying Plant, the Heart Centre, etc.). He mentioned French
aid in re-educating and further training as important.
Velliste thanked the French embassy and the Ambassador for aid
to the Tallinn French Lyceum, and the French administration
that sent two teachers of the French language to Tartu
University. Velliste also emphasized the French aid in
national security.

      ESTONIAN MINISTER OF ENERGY THANKS SWEDEN FOR FUEL

Estonian Minister of Energy Arvo Niitenberg on January 21
thanked Sweden for timely financial aid that was used for
buying diesel fuel for winter. The words of gratitude were
forwarded through the captains of the tankers "Bellona" and
"Avior" that transported the fuel to Estonia. The meeting with
the captains was attended by Swedish Ambassador to Estonia
Lars Grundberg, and representatives of the "Eesti Ku"tus" fuel
company and "Statoil". In all, 3,800 tons of diesel were
transported to Tallinn. The fuel will be distributed by "Eesti
Ku"tus", and it will be used for the railway, buses, and the
"Eesti Po~levkivi" oil-shale company.
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forwarded without permission and without comment by
the observer
Tapani Hietaniemi, Universitas Helsingiensis
                   urbs fennorum