YELTSIN DELAYS FINAL DECISION ON BURIAL OF RUSSIA’S LAST TSAR.

President Yeltsin has ordered the remains of the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and of his family to be brought to Moscow for final verification. The bones were exhumed six years ago near Yekaterinburg, the Urals city where the family was shot by the Bolsheviks in July, 1918. Although the remains of only 9 family members have so far been discovered — those of one of the tsar’s daughters and his son Aleksei are still missing — experts in Yekaterinburg say they are 99.9 percent sure they are those of the imperial family. Final tests to establish authenticity will take about two months. After that, Yeltsin will decide where the remains should be buried. Yeltsin set up an advisory commission on this issue in 1993; it is expected to come up with recommendations at its next meeting in January. Three cities are vying for the honor: Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. (RTR, November 4)

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