From: msirbu@next5.cs.umr.edu (Mihai Sirbu)
Subject: RFE/RL Daily Report 01 OCT, 1992 (long)
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 23:10:37 GMT
Organization: University of Missouri-Rolla, Missouri's Technological University

The RFE/RL Daily Report is a digest of latest developments
in the former Soviet Union 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 1992 RFE/RL, Inc.


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                    RFE/RL Daily Report
                                       No. 189, 1 October 1992

                   SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS. Ukrainian Prime Minister Vitold
Fokin offered his resignation on 30 September, Ukrinform-TASS and
Western news agencies reported.  The announcement was made by
President Leonid Kravchuk in his address to the parliament.
Kravchuk asked Fokin to stay on until a new head of government is
appointed.  Fokin was quoted as saying that his decision to resign
was dictated by his desire to ensure peace and consensus in the
country, and added that his economic program would continue in his
absence.  Fokin also blamed constant attacks by the media for his
decision to resign; as he told Reuters: "This has been brewing for
a long time and I see no sign of it ending." Meanwhile, Vyacheslav
Chornovil, the leader of the opposition Rukh movement, declared
that Fokin's departure was "a victory for reform and democracy in
Ukraine." (Roman Solchanyk, RFE/RL Inc.)

UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT SEEKING WAY OUT OF CRISIS.  Heated debate,
broadcast live by Radio Ukraine, continued in the Ukrainian
parliament on 1 October following the resignation of Prime
Minister Vitold Fokin.  It confirmed not only the deep economic
crisis in which Ukraine finds itself, but also the crisis in
government and the division of political powers. Amid calls for
the creation of a government of national conciliation, numerous
deputies argued that the entire Cabinet of Ministers should resign
along with Fokin, leaving the new prime minister freedom to create
a new government capable of accelerating reforms. Rukh's leader
Vyacheslav Chornovil on 30 September called on President Kravchuk
to assume control of the government until the end of the year.
(Bohdan Nahaylo, RFE/RL Inc.)

SHAPOSHNIKOV CALLS FOR RUSSIAN "STATEHOOD" FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS. In
a 30 September Krasnaya zvezda article, CIS Marshal Shaposhnikov
suggested that the existence of nuclear weapons on the territory
of four former Soviet republics would complicate the
implementation of the START treaty.  He proposed giving nuclear
weapons their own "statehood," which would be Russian. This move
would presumably entail greater Russian operational and
administrative control over the weapons. Shaposhnikov noted that
Belarus and Russia are close to agreement on this point, while
Kazakhstan is drawing nearer.  (John Lepingwell, RFE/RL Inc.)

UKRAINE REJECTS INCREASED RUSSIAN CONTROL OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk rejected CIS Marshal
Shaposhnikov's call for increased Russian control over nuclear
weapons in a speech to the Ukrainian parliament on 30 September,
as reported by Interfax and Western news agencies.  Kravchuk
stated that Ukraine "does not want to keep its fingers on the
nuclear button, but it should give the world community guarantees
that the nuclear weapons stationed on its territory will not be
used by a third state." While reiterating Ukraine's determination
to become a non-nuclear state, his remarks reaffirmed Ukraine's
commitment to maintaining substantial control over the weapons and
their elimination. Kravchuk also rejected the idea of Ukraine
joining any CIS defense alliance.  (John Lepingwell, RFE/RL Inc.)

SHAPOSHNIKOV RENEWS CALL FOR JOINT CIS MILITARY.  In an article in
Krasnaya zvezda on 30 September, CIS Marshal Evgenii Shaposhnikov
urged closer CIS military cooperation.  Criticizing US attempts to
create a "unipolar world," Shaposhnikov warned of a possible new
North-South confrontation and called for the CIS to act as a
"stabilizing counterweight" between the North and South.  To
strengthen the military role of the CIS, Shaposhnikov called for a
joint military structure, possibly including mixed troop
formations made up of units from the CIS states. He also called
for the CIS states to coordinate policies on military personnel to
prevent rising disparities between the national armies and
subsequent unrest within the military.  (John Lepingwell, RFE/RL
Inc.)

MUSLIM LEADERS REACT TO SHAPOSHNIKOV'S REMARKS.  The Co-Chairman
of the Caucasus Supreme Religious Council, Sheikh Muhammad
Karachai, said on 30 September that many Russian leaders were
infected with an anti-Islamic virus, an RFE/RL correspondent
reported from Moscow. Karachai was reacting to a statement by CIS
commander Evgeniy Shaposhnikov to Krasnaya zvezda, in which
Shaposhnikov said a system of collective security for the CIS
could counter growing Islamic influence.  Karachai, who was
attending an international Islamic conference in Moscow, said
Russian leaders would have to face the reality that Muslims seek
ways of unification.  However, Salman Musaev, a Muslim official
from the Caucasus, and the Kazakh mufti Aslanbek Abdurakhman Ali,
who were also attending the conference, rejected the idea of a
political union between the Central Asian states and other Islamic
nations. (Ann Sheehy, RFE/RL Inc.)

RUSSIAN REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE IN TAJIKISTAN. Reinforcements for
the Russian troops stationed in Tajikistan have arrived in
Dushanbe and taken control of the city's airport; Tajik fighters
who had been besieging Russian troops in the southern part of the
country have ended their blockade, Western and Moscow agencies
reported on 30 September.  A Tajik security official said that
roads into Dushanbe have been put under strict control to prevent
arms being brought into the city.  Acting President Akbar
Iskandarov appealed to both CIS leaders and the UN to help stop
the fighting, because Tajikistan's government cannot do so. The 30
September issue of Megapolis-Ekspress speculates that the
commander of the CIS troops in Tajikistan, Major-General
Mukhriddin Ashurov, might be named to the vacant post of Minister
of Defense. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL Inc.)

MORE REFUGEES IN DUSHANBE. Refugees from the fighting in southern
Tajikistan are flooding into Dushanbe, Western and Moscow agencies
reported on 30 September, and hundreds of refugees from
Kurgan-Tyube, the opposition stronghold, are picketing the Russian
ambassador's residence demanding an end to Russian interference in
Tajikistan.  They are presumably reacting to rumors that the
Russian forces have given weaponry and equipment to supporters of
deposed President Rakhmon Nabiev. Russian military sources insist
that pro-Nabiev fighters from Kulyab Oblast forcibly seized
equipment from the Russian troops to use in their battles in
Kurgan-Tyube. According to the 30 September issue of
Megapolis-Ekspress, law enforcement officials of the ministry of
internal affairs and National Security Committee who are supposed
to stay neutral in the interregional fighting are getting involved
on the side of their region of origin. (Bess Brown, RFE/RL Inc.)

KULYAB PEACE DEMANDS.  The 30 September issue of
Megapolis-Ekspress lists demands made of the government in
Dushanbe by pro-Nabiev forces in Kulyab Oblast that would have to
be met before the Kulyab fighters would agree to lay down their
arms. One of these demands, the appointment of Communist economist
Abdumalik Abdullodzhanov as prime minister, has already been met.
Other demands include the removal of prominent opposition figures
from the government: Deputy Prime Minister Davlat Usmon of the
Islamic Renaissance Party, Tajik Radio and TV Chairman Mirbobo
Mirrakhimov of Rastokhez, and deputy National Security Committee
Chairman Davlat Aminov.  The Kulyab forces would also like to see
Akbar Turadzhonzoda removed from his post as the highest-ranking
Muslim clergyman in Tajikistan.  (Bess Brown, RFE/RL Inc.)

VOUCHER PRIVATIZATION BEGINS TODAY AMID UNCERTAINTY.  The Russian
government will launch its mass privatization program today by
beginning to issue vouchers to each Russian citizen.  The
distribution process is scheduled to last three months.  The
vouchers represent claims on state assets which will be auctioned
off beginning some time next year. Western news agencies on 30
September catalogued the problems confronting the program. The
major obstacles include: delays in printing and delivering the
vouchers; delays in state enterprises transforming themselves into
public share companies; outstanding questions about which state
assets the vouchers can be traded for; and confusion among the
Russian people over how the voucher program works. (Erik Whitlock,
RFE/RL Inc.)

CONTROVERSY OVER VALUE OF RUSSIAN VOUCHERS.  Issued with a face
value of 10,000 rubles, the real value of the vouchers to its
holder has been a focus of heated political debate.  The real
value of any given voucher will be decided by the "market" in
which a holder chooses to trade. The holder may participate
directly in auctions for state assets, in which case the value
will depend on the bidding process for the assets.  Holders may
trade their vouchers for shares in an investment fund, in which
case the value to holders depends on the quality of investment
decisions the fund makes.  Finally, if holders sell their vouchers
for cash, the value will depend on supply and demand on this
"secondary" market. In the uncertain economic conditions in
Russia, it is very hard to predict the outcome of any of these
choices.  (Erik Whitlock, RFE/RL Inc.)

SHEINIS DEFENDS ABKHAZIA STATEMENTS. Russian parliamentarian
Viktor Sheinis told a press conference on 30 September that the
documents adopted by the parliament the previous week (on 25
September) were fully in accord with international norms.
According to international law, Sheinis said, "the protection of
human rights is not an internal affair and Russia, like any other
state, can raise the question of human rights, wherever they are
violated." On the question of arms controlled by forces in
Russia's Transcaucasian Military District, Sheinis said that under
no circumstances should Russia transfer these weapons to Georgian
authorities, ITAR-TASS reported. (Suzanne Crow, RFE/RL Inc.)

CRIMEAN SEPARATISTS "REORGANIZE." The Republican Movement of the
Crimea (RDK), which has spearheaded the drive for Crimean
independence, has reconstituted itself as the Russian Movement of
the Crimea (RDK), Radio Ukraine reported on 29 September. The name
change was announced in a statement saying that the old RDK had
been rendered "illegal" by the recent changes to the Crimean
Constitution, that is, by the Crimean parliament's compliance with
Kiev's demand that the peninsula bring its constitution and laws
in line with the Ukrainian Constitution.  The new RDK maintained
that the Crimea's future lies in its union with the CIS, even if
the latter is restricted to Russia. (Roman Solchanyk, RFE/RL Inc.)

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT STILL DEMANDS TESTIMONY OF GORBACHEV, FALIN.
In response to summons from the Russian Constitutional Court,
Valentin Falin, the former chief of the International Department
of the CPSU Central Committee, who is now receiving medical
treatment in Germany, listed seven conditions which the court
would have to meet before he would agree to testify, "Novosti"
reported on 30 September. These included full reimbursement for
round-trip airfare and other expenses related to his trip to
Moscow.  Moreover, according to Western agencies on 30 September,
Falin said that he would testify only if former CPSU Secretary
General Mikhail Gorbachev did the same. ITAR-TASS reported on 30
September that the court was willing to pay for Falin's airfare,
but that it rejected Falin's linking his testimony to that of
Gorbachev. Also on 30 September, Reuters reported a statement by
the court chairman, Valery Zorin, that he might have to order
"executive authorities" to ensure Gorbachev's appearance. On
October 1, the court will receive testimony from former USSR Prime
Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov, who has criticized Gorbachev for the
latter's refusal to testify. (Julia Wishnevsky, RFE/RL Inc.)

SITUATION IN KABARDINO-BALKARIA NORMALIZING.  ITAR-TASS reported
on the morning of 30 September that the situation in
Kabardino-Balkaria was normalizing.  The agency said that the
Executive Committee of the Congress of the Kabardinian people had
disassociated itself from the movement's fighters who were
demonstrating, and that labor collectives were supporting the
president and government.  Roadblocks had been removed from all
roads and the airport. However, supporters of the Confederation of
the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus and the fighters were
preparing to hold a new meeting demanding the resignation of the
president of the republic. Krasnaya zvezda of 30 September
expressed concern that those meeting included more and more
volunteers returning from Abkhazia. (Ann Sheehy, RFE/RL Inc.)

GAIDAR VISITS AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA.  A Russian government
delegation headed by Prime Minister Egor Gaidar travelled to Baku
on 30 September.  Gaidar met with Azerbaijani President Abulfaz
Elchibey and signed a number of bilateral economic agreements,
ITAR-TASS reported.  In a letter addressed to Russian President
Boris Yeltsin, Elchibey expressed the hope that the visit marked
the beginning of a new chapter in Azerbaijani-Russian relations.
Gaidar then travelled to Erevan for talks with President Levon
Ter-Petrossyan and Prime Minister Khosrow Arutyunyan. According to
Interfax, Armenian officials requested that Russia create an air
defence system on Armenian territory.  (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL Inc.)

RUSSIAN BORDER TROOPS TO LEAVE GEORGIA BY MAY 1994.  The head of
Georgia's Central Border Protection Administration, Colonel Otar
Gumberidze, told Interfax that an agreement has been reached
whereby Russian border troops will be withdrawn from Georgia
beginning in 1993; the withdrawal will be completed by 7 May 1994.
Gumberidze conceded that at present Georgia is "physically unable"
to protect its border with Turkey and has proposed that Russia and
Georgia jointly finance protection of that section of the frontier
for the time being. (A similar arrangement has been concluded
between Russia and Azerbaijan over protection of the frontier
between Iran and Azerbaijan).  (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL Inc.)

MORE FIGHTING IN WESTERN GEORGIA. Clashes are continuing in
western Georgia between Georgian National Guard contingents and
supporters of ousted president Zviad Gamsakhurdia.  Georgian
forces retook the town of Khobi last week and on 30 September
repulsed an attempt by Gamsakhurdia's supporters to occupy the
police station in Senaki; four of the attackers were killed in an
ensuing gunfight, according to ITAR-TASS.  (Liz Fuller, RFE/RL
Inc.)

                    CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

COSIC, TUDJMAN SIGN ACCORD. Radios Croatia and Serbia report on 30
September that Croatia's President Franjo Tudjman and Dobrica
Cosic, president of the rump Yugoslavia, signed a joint 8-point
declaration in Geneva.  The agreement calls for the withdrawal of
the federal Yugoslav army from Croatian Prevlaka Peninsula,
strategically located on the Croatian-Montenegrin border.  The
federal forces are to leave by 20 October, thus removing the
threat of renewed attacks on Dubrovnik and formally achieving the
withdrawal of the federal army from Croatia.  Prevlaka would be
demilitarized and placed under UN supervision.  The leaders also
renewed pledges to use their influence to end fighting in Bosnia,
condemned "ethnic cleansing," reiterated existing commitments that
borders can not be changed by force, and agreed to consider the
normalization of relations between the Republic of Croatia and
Yugoslavia (Serbia-Montenegro).  (Milan Andrejevich, RFE/RL Inc.)

SERB REACTIONS.  On 29 September, before the accord was signed,
Col.  Miodrag Miladinovic, the federal commander at Prevlaka,
reportedly warned that his troops would defend the peninsula,
which protects the key naval base in the Bay of Kotor, with force
"if the politicians lose it." Upon hearing of the signing of the
Tudjman-Cosic accord, Bozidar Vucurevic, the Serb leader from
eastern Herzegovina, was said to have called it "harmful to
Herzegovina's Serbs," because Croatian forces are now in a better
position to penetrate Serb-controlled areas.  Ultranationalist
Serb leaders like Vojislav Seselj have allegedly described plans
to withdraw the federal forces from Prevlaka as "shameful and
treasonous." Radio Serbia carried the reports. (Milan Andrejevich,
RFE/RL Inc.)

ETHNIC CLEANSING COMES TO SARAJEVO. The BBC on 1 October quoted
Muslim refugees as saying that armed Serbs had systematically
forced them to flee their homes in two Sarajevo suburbs the
previous day.  They were given as little as 15 minutes to prepare,
and one woman told the BBC that she was raped before she could
reach Muslim lines. The Serbs have been trying to split Sarajevo
into two for some time.  In Washington, the Senate voted to
approve up to $50 million in military aid to the Bosnian
government, whose forces are greatly outgunned by the Serbs, but
the measure is unlikely to be approved by the House or the White
House, the Los Angeles Times says on 1 October. Meanwhile in
Geneva, international mediators Cyrus Vance and Lord Owen
announced on 30 September that leaders of the two sides have
agreed to start talks on demilitarizing the Bosnian capital under
the good offices of UNPROFOR.  (Patrick Moore, RFE/RL Inc.)

CZECHOSLOVAKS HOLD FINAL DEBATE ON SPLIT. The Czechoslovak
parliament held its final debate on 30 September on a draft law on
the division of Czechoslovakia, with most opposition deputies
rejecting the law and calling for a referendum on the issue.  The
parliament is to vote on the law on 1 October. Commenting on the
prospective split of the country, former Czechoslovak President
Vaclav Havel told CSTK that a referendum on whether Czechoslovakia
should split does not make sense any longer.  He said he could not
imagine a referendum in Slovakia which would decide anything.
Havel, however, suggested that a referendum could be held to
ratify the split. In the evening of 30 September, Havel met for
dinner with Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus. Speaking to
reporters afterwards, Klaus rejected the idea of a ratification
referendum.  He said that "the referendum issue is a game the
opposition parties are playing" and that it is useless to "waste
energy on referendum arguments." (Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.)

SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER ON ARMY, FOREIGN RELATIONS.  Vladimir Meciar
told the Slovak Press Agency on 30 September that Slovakia will
establish its own ministry of defense.  Meciar also said that,
with the exception of Hungary, Slovakia's relations with other
countries are good. He argued that the relations with Hungary
could improve but that, like Slovakia, Hungary must take steps in
that direction.  The Slovak premier further said that he was
unhappy about a letter which he received on 30 September from
Hungarian Prime Minister Antall in which, in Meciar's words,
"Antall accused Slovakia of violating Hungary's borders and
threatening Hungary's sovereignty." Meciar also defended the
performance of his government during the first 100 days in office
against sharp criticism from opposition parties.  (Jiri Pehe,
RFE/RL Inc.)

HUNGARIAN DEMOCRATIC FORUM POSTPONES CONVENTION.  According to
MTI, the ruling party will hold its fourth national meeting at the
end of January and not at the end of November as planned.  The
presidium of the party denied that the meeting was postponed for
political reasons--i.e., because of the controversy surrounding
the pamphlet written by one of the forum's vice presidents, Istvan
Csurka.  Rather, they say, more time is needed to concentrate on
parliamentary work. (Judith Pataki, RFE/RL Inc.)

RECOUNT IS CALLED IN ROMANIAN VOTE. Romania's electoral bureau
said on 30 September that some 3.6 million votes had to be
declared void because people failed to understand the complicated
ballot papers. Rompres quoted a Romanian official as saying that
13.6% of votes cast for the Chamber of Deputies were annulled,
along with 12.9% for the Senate, and 4.8% for the presidency. In a
communiqui broadcast by Radio Bucharest on 30 September, Romania's
Central Electoral Bureau called for a recount within 24 hours. The
Democratic Convention, an alliance of the main opposition forces,
pointing to the unusually high number of invalid ballots,
expressed serious doubts about the accuracy of counting
procedures.  The counting will now probably take several more
days.  (Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL Inc.)

ILIESCU CALLS FOR COALITION. On 30 September President Ion Iliescu
called for a government of national unity to cope with Romania's
"grave problems." Speaking at a press conference, Iliescu
expressed hopes that his Democratic National Salvation Front and
the centrist Democratic Convention could find "a platform of
minimal understanding." He suggested that a wide-based coalition
might include all political groups in the new parliament.  Another
alternative mentioned by Iliescu was that of a cabinet of
technocrats accepted by all parties in parliament.  Iliescu also
described fears of a slowdown in economic reforms after his
party's victory as unfounded, but added that reforms should be
made "tolerable." (Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL Inc.)

HOUSE REJECTS MFN TRADE STATUS FOR ROMANIA.  The US House of
Representatives rejected on 30 September by a 283 to 88 vote the
restoration of most-favored-nation trade status to Romania.  There
was no debate before the vote, which had been delayed because some
members of the Congress wanted to see the results of the
elections.  Romania is currently the only East European country
which does not enjoy the MFN status, which grants low tariffs to
exports to the United States.  (Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL Inc.)

ANOTHER SETBACK FOR POLISH MASS PRIVATIZATION.  The Sejm voted on
30 September to postpone any decision on whether to send the
government's mass privatization program to committee, pending an
official reckoning of the costs of the program.  Privatization
Minister Janusz Lewandowski said the program would be
self-financing, thanks to World Bank and EC assistance and fees
paid by participants.  But objections as to costs missed the
point, he added, as mass privatization aims to improve the
performance of 600 selected firms and rapidly broaden private
ownership. Indeed, finances do not seem to have been the real
concern of the program's opponents; their zeal for healthy state
budgets is sporadic.  Although the Sejm may still approve further
work on the plan, the vote for postponement--172 to 147 (20
abstentions)--showed the parliamentary weakness of the government
coalition and the potential strength of the state industry lobby.
Mass privatization has been in the planning stage in Poland for
two years. (Louisa Vinton, RFE/RL Inc.)

SEJM DEBATES DEFENSE INDUSTRIES.  Sejm deputies also urged the
government to save Poland's defense industries, which lost
virtually their entire market with the dissolution of the Warsaw
Pact. Defense Minister Janusz Onyszkiewicz reported on 30
September that 3 trillion of Poland's 26.5 trillion zloty defense
budget is earmarked for equipment purchases in 1992.  Domestic
purchases will amount to 2 trillion zloty.  The defense budget has
been cut by nearly 60% since 1986, Onyszkiewicz noted, severely
limiting state support for defense industries.  Industry Minister
Waclaw Niewiarowski said that planned restructuring would reduce
military production to 19% of the 1988 level and eliminate 27,000
jobs. Of the 80 existing defense plants, only 28 would remain.
Many deputies urged the government to expand international arms
sales and exact payment for deliveries made to the former Soviet
Union.  (Louisa Vinton, RFE/RL Inc.)

HUNGARIAN BUDGET SENT TO PARLIAMENT. On 30 September, Finance
Minister Mihaly Kupa presented next year's budget to the
parliament.  A deficit of 180-185 billion forint is anticipated.
Kupa said two items are expected to spark debate: the introduction
of a double-level value-added tax system and a change in the
distribution of tax revenues between national and the local
governments. Until now, this income was divided equally, but now
local governments are to receive only 30% .  Kupa said the new tax
law is also ready to be sent to parliament. (Judith Pataki, RFE/RL
Inc.)

BANKING REFORM IN BULGARIA. On 30 September, as part of the
government's economic reconstruction program, 22 of Bulgaria's
commercial banks were merged. The resulting corporation, the
United Bulgarian Bank (UBB), will commence operations in January
1993.  UBB assets are estimated at 18 billion leva ($788 million)
according to Western sources. The move is the first step in the
direction of privatizing Bulgarian banking, a process expected to
take up to three years.  The next banking merger is expected to be
between Bulgaria's two largest financial institutions, the
Economic Bank and Mineral Bank, which between them are expected to
control over one third of the country's banking business.  (Duncan
Perry, RFE/RL Inc.)

BULGARIA MAY FACE ENERGY CRISIS.  The consequences of an incident
at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant last week, when short circuits
caused a brief fire, could lead to severe power rationing
Bulgarian officials warned on 30 September. Plant spokesman Yordan
Yordanov first told Western agencies that a single 440-megawatt
reactor would be operating during the next two months, though he
later said experts are investigating a temporary solution that
would allow a 1000-megawatt unit to be connected to the power grid
within two weeks.  In the meantime the Bulgarian National Electric
Company has signed contracts for emergency electricity supplies
from Ukraine and Moldova. (Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL Inc.)

LITHUANIA, RUSSIA SIGN MUTUAL ACCOUNTING AGREEMENT.  On 30
September in Moscow Lithuanian Deputy Prime Minister Bronislavas
Lubys and his Russian counterpart Aleksandr Shokhin signed an
agreement on settling accounts between the two states after 1
October, when Lithuania leaves the ruble zone and introduces its
temporary coupons, Radio Lithuania reports.  A similar agreement
was also signed for the time when Lithuania introduces its
currency, the litas.  A further protocol provides for the settling
within a month of all bills for goods and services made prior to 1
October 1992.  (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.)

ESTONIA'S FIRST BANKRUPTCY.  A regional court in Estonia declared
a merchandising company bankrupt on 30 September, marking the
first bankruptcy in Estonia in the postwar period.  The case
against Norten, Ltd.  is the first in what is expected to be a
series of suits the government will bring in compliance with new
bankruptcy regulations, which took force on 1 September.  As of
that day, Estonian companies owed the state some 235 million
kroon, BNS reports. (Riina Kionka, RFE/RL Inc.)

MAYOROV PROTESTS TREATMENT OF MILITARY. Diena reported on 28
September about letter of protest addressed to the Latvian
government by Col.  Gen. Leonid Mayorov, commander of the
Northwestern Group of Forces, demanding a halt to what he terms as
provocative behavior of Latvian authorities against the Russian
military.  Mayorov also threatened that the army would use all
means at its disposal to protect its own interests. The letter was
prompted by Latvian efforts to monitor the movements of Russian
military around several buildings in Riga and Jurmala that have
been turned over to the Latvian authorities--but not yet
vacated--by the military. One incident specifically mentioned in a
report by Latvijas Jaunatne on 25 September involved attempts of
the Latvian Home Guard to verify the documents of Mayorov's second
in command, R-Adm.  Shestakov.  (Dzintra Bungs, RFE/RL Inc.)

RUSSIA STEPS UP VERBAL ATTACKS ON BALTS. On 30 September Russian
Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi urged Belgium to help defend the
rights of Russians in the Baltic States.  According to Interfax,
Rutskoi made the statement to visiting Belgian Foreign Minister
Willy Claes, who responded that Russia should remove its troops
from the Baltic States. Rutskoi, in turn, said Russia wants to
remove the troops, but has no place to house them. Meanwhile,
Lithuanian Supreme Council Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis was
quoted by Interfax as saying that Moscow is carrying out a new
"Cold War" against the Baltic States. Landsbergis told reporters
in Vilnius that Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev is leading
a campaign against the Balts in talks in various international
forums.  (Riina Kionka, RFE/RL Inc.)

As of 1200 CET]
Compiled  by Hal Kosiba & Charles Trumbull
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