A CHANGE IN COMMAND IN TAJIKISTAN.

Lt. Gen. Pavel Tarasenko, who had been commander of Russian border guards in the Caucasus, has replaced Anatoly Chechulin as chief of Russian border guards in Tajikistan, Moscow radio reported May 11. Chechulin, who had often been at odds with local Russian military commanders, will thus be out of the way before the Tajik peace talks resume in Alma-Ata May 22. But the shift comes as Moscow papers (see especially Nezavisimaya gazeta on May 11) criticize the border guards for overstepping their authority. Moreover, the transfer of Tarasenko from the Caucasus to Tajikistan only underscores the common problems Moscow faces as it seeks greater control of its southern neighbors.

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