NEWSBRIEFS (06/09/96)

NEWSBRIEFS

"And they shall beat their silos into sunflower seeds!" in Pervomaiske

KYIV - In a ceremony marking the removal of the last nuclear missiles from Ukrainian territory, Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Shmarov, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry and Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev, traveled to the Pervomaiske ICBM base, where they planted sunflowers over a former silo, international agencies reported on June 5. Mr. Perry said the action will ensure that future generations will live in peace. Kazakhstan delivered the last of its nuclear weapons to Russia a year ago, while Belarus had delayed transferring the last of its warheads because of financial difficulties. The U.S. signed an agreement with Ukraine allocating $43 million to help build housing for retired rocket forces personnel, now unemployed due to base closures. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Primakov: NATO coming to its senses...

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeniy Primakov rejected reports by Western agencies that he had told his NATO counterparts in Berlin that Russia could accept Eastern European countries joining NATO so long as foreign troops were not deployed there, ITAR-TASS reported on June 4. Mr. Primakov said that although Russia could accept the political expansion of NATO, Moscow would oppose any eastward expansion of NATO's military infrastructure, which he said included not just troops, but also joint military command structures, air defense systems, intelligence sharing and similar measures. Nevertheless, Mr. Primakov expressed satisfaction with the results of the Berlin meeting, saying that NATO "had for the first time begun to move in the direction of adapting to new realities." He also said that Western leaders were beginning to understand that NATO cannot expand "without an intensive dialogue with Russia" about the terms of expansion. (OMRI Daily Digest)

...as Kuchma takes different tack

PARIS - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told the Assembly of the Western European Union (WEU) that Ukraine is not opposed to NATO's gradual expansion but is against the deployment of nuclear weapons in neighboring countries that might join the alliance, ITAR-TASS reported on June 5. Mr. Kuchma reiterated that Ukraine's neutral status precludes it from joining any alliances but said Ukraine should have the right to join any "military-political structure that seeks to become an element of European and trans-Atlantic security." He added that Ukraine will seek associate membership in the WEU and develop ties with the European Union. (OMRI Daily Digest)

More protests broken up in Belarus

MIENSK - Approximately 3,000 people demonstrated in front of the presidential palace here demanding the release of nine activists arrested during the April 26 Chornobyl demonstrations, international agencies reported on May 31. The crowd chanted slogans against Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, at which point security forces broke up the demonstration, beating protesters with truncheons, spraying tear gas and arresting up to 200 people. Although no political party has taken responsibility for organizing the rally, authorities accused the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF). In the past, the government has blamed the BPF for unilaterally instigating demonstrations that were in fact organized by a number of parties and organizations. The consistent allegations that the BPF is responsible for organizing mass protests are seen as a pretext to justify banning the organization. Reuters reported former Parliament Chairman Mechyslau Hryb on June 3 as warning that arrests and police beatings such as have taken place recently were setting a dangerous precedent, while presidential official Yuryi Kulakausky blamed demonstrators for "running amok." (OMRI Daily Digest)

Russian passenger trains to be re-routed

MOSCOW - Russian passenger trains bound for popular Black Sea resorts such as Sochi will be re-routed this summer to avoid passing through Ukraine, ITAR-TASS reported on May 30. Beginning on June 2, most trains heading to the Russian Black Sea coast from Moscow and points north were to have been routed through Voronezh in order to avoid allegedly lengthy delays caused by customs and passport controls at the Russian-Ukrainian border, which had to be crossed twice on the previous route. Railway Ministry officials said the new route will take less time, even though it is longer. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Dniester leftists counting on Zyuganov

TIRASPOL, Moldova - The local branch of the radical left-wing Bloc of Patriotic Forces called on resident of the so-called Trans-Dniester Republic to vote for Communist leader Gennadiy Zyuganov in the Russian presidential elections, Infotag reported on May 30. Albina Gogoleva, chairwoman of the Dniester Russian Community, said Mr. Zyuganov "is the best candidate able to fulfill the aspirations of most former Soviet Union residents to live together again," local media reported. There are some 30,000 Russian citizens living in this breakaway region of Moldova. The Russian Embassy in Chisinau said that on June 16 eight polling stations will be opened in Moldova. (OMRI Daily Digest)

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