YELTSIN DENIES HE IS PLANNING TO USE FORCE AGAINST DUMA.

Russian president Boris Yeltsin has denied accusations by the leader of the Russian Communist party, Gennady Zyuganov, that "hotheads" in the president’s entourage are urging him to use force against the Russian parliament in retaliation for its denunciation of the 1991 Belovezhye accord, which disbanded the USSR. (Interfax, March 18) Zyuganov had alleged that some of Yeltsin’s associates were urging him to dissolve the Duma, place the Russian army on alert, and declare a state of emergency that would make it possible to cancel the presidential election. "The Communists have nothing to fear," Yeltsin said. "Zyuganov will not need an armored personnel carrier to get to work."

Yeltsin Seeks to Coopt Reintegration Issue.