GEORGIA: AMBIVALENT SUPPORT FOR YELTSIN.

Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze struck a cautious note in a radio interview yesterday, noting that Russian president Boris Yeltsin has "received the minimally necessary number of votes that may ensure his success in the second round." Shevardnadze observed further that Russia is "choosing not only a president but also a political system." The chairman of the parliament’s foreign policy commission and member of the ruling Civic Union, Kakha Chitaya, commented that Yeltsin is better placed to win the runoff and that his success will "favor a Georgian-Russian rapprochement, whereas a different outcome of the election would lead to complications in bilateral relations." (Interfax, June 17) No returns are yet available from the Russian voting in Georgia. Civilian Russian citizens are concentrated in Abkhazia and Russian military forces are also stationed in the country.

Armenia’s Leadership, Russians Opt for Yeltsin.