NEW ORGANIZATION MAY SUPPORT LEBED’S PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS

. The Congress of Russian Communities, the Democratic Party of Russia and the "Honor and Motherland" servicemen’s association plan to unite in new movement called "For Truth and Order." Their respective leaders — Dmitri Rogozin, Sergei Glazyev and Aleksandr Lebed — say they will sign an agreement on September 5.

This is not the first time there has been talk of such an organization, which intends, in Rogozin’s words, "to support Aleksandr Lebed in his struggle against crime and corruption and in defense of Russia’s economic security" (read: "to support Lebed’s bid for presidential office"). (Interfax, September 3)

Lebed has lacked such a support group, and has depended on Yeltsin’s grace and favor — which has forced him in recent weeks to appeal loudly and demagogically to the public to get a hearing for his Chechen peace plan. The Security Council he heads has no constitutionally defined powers and, while Lebed has proposed that all government economic resolutions should be reviewed by Security Council experts, his economic adviser Sergei Glazyev has admitted that it will be difficult to get the government to pay any attention to Security Council recommendations. (Segodnya, August 31)

Report Warns of Northern Fleet Nuclear Hazards.