From: trh@jack.sns.com (Al Trh)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.turkish
Subject: Tatars, Akaev, Elchibey news...
Date: 7 Oct 1992 23:37:49 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
Reply-To: Turkish Cultural Program List <TRKNWS-L%USCVM.BitNet@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU>
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

                       RFE/RL Daily Report

                                        No. 193, 6 October, 1992

                   SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

YELTSIN: RUSSIAN FORCES TO DEFEND THEMSELVES, RAILROADS, IN
ABKHAZIA. Abkhaz forces continued to advance north from Gagra and
took the villages of Leselidze and Gantiadi early on 6 October,
and they now control a 65 kilometer stretch of coastline from the
Russian border south almost as far as Sukhumi.  Speaking to
journalists in Tbilisi, Georgian State Council Chairman Eduard
Shevardnadze accused Russian troops stationed near Gudauta of
transferring ultra-modern technology to the Abkhaz forces,
ITAR-TASS reported. Russian President Boris Yeltsin told the
Russian Supreme Soviet that Russia would not stand by while
Russian citizens' interests were being trampled on; nor would
Russian troops hesitate to defend themselves if attacked.
Although he claimed that Russian forces remained neutral,
President Yeltsin told deputies that "we will not pull our
[military] contingent out [of Abkhazia], because it is necessary
to take control of the railroad on the territory of Abkhazia, from
the Russian-Abkhazian border to the Abkhazian-Georgian border--the
entire line, which runs along the seaside," ITAR-TASS reported.
According to Western agencies, Yeltsin also stated that Russian
control of the railroads were vital, since they were key to
communications between Russia and Armenia.  Yeltsin also stated
that he would meet on 13 October with Shevardnadze, Abkhaz
parliament Chairman Vladislav Ardzinba and North Caucasian
representatives to discuss the Abkhaz situation; however, his
statement about Russian interests in Abkhazia is tantamount to an
assertion that Abkhazia is not part of Georgia. The UN Security
Council has expressed concern over the Abkhaz crisis and may send
observers to monitor the situation there. (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL,
Inc.)

UPCOMING CIS SUMMIT. Sapurmurad Niyazov, president of
Turkmenistan, has announced that he will not be attending the CIS
summit in Bishkek on 9 October, Interfax reported. Turkmenistan
will be represented instead by the chairman of the republic's
parliament.  Turkmenistan is against the creation of any
coordinating bodies which will be one of the major topics of
discussion at the summit.  The Azerbaijan parliament is to discuss
Azerbaijan's membership of the CIS on 7 October, and the outcome
is likely to determine whether or not the Azerbaijani president,
Abulfaz Elchibei, attends the summit. The Moldovan president
Mircea Snegur is to attend, although the Moldovan parliament has
still not ratified the CIS treaty. (Ann Sheehy, RFE/RL, Inc.)

AKAEV ON CIS SUMMIT. At a press conference in Bishkek on 6
October, Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev said that the authority of
the CIS was undermined by the fact that many decisions were not
implemented not only because the decisions themselves were
imperfect, but because of the amorphous nature of the CIS's
structures, ITAR-TASS reported. Akaev said that the planned
establishment of a consultative coordination economic council and
economic court was extremely important to arrest economic decline
in the CIS states.  The creation of the council seems unlikely,
however, given President Yeltsin's reluctance to force the issue,
presumably out of a desire not to antagonize Ukraine.  (Ann
Sheehy, RFE/RL, Inc.)

CRIMEAN TATARS CLASH WITH POLICE IN SIMFEROPOL.  On 6 October,
Crimean Tatars occupied the Simferopol Supreme Soviet building in
an effort to obtain the release of Tatars detained in a clash with
police in Alushta on 1 October, a spokeswoman for the Crimean
Tatar parliament told an RL/RFE correspondent in Moscow.
According to the spokeswoman, police wounded some of the
protesters when they used clubs, water cannon, tear gas, and
firearms against them; these charges were not, however, confirmed
by Crimean officials.  The spokeswoman also reported that 5,000
Tatars were holding a rally in the Simferopol central square, and
that Mustafa Dzemilyou, chairman of the Crimean Tatar parliament,
urged demonstrators to establish self-defense units to resist
Crimean authorities. (Hal Kosiba, RFE/RL, Inc.)