DUMA DEPUTIES OPPOSE REMOVAL OF LEBED.

Following Gen. Aleksandr Lebed’sremarks May 12 that his removal could spark a new war in Moldova, Dumadeputies from across the political spectrum appealed to President Yeltsin tokeep the controversial general in place, Moskovsky komsomolets reported May17. The paper said that the Duma members were especially concerned thatLebed’s departure would allow local groups to seize weapons from Russianammunition dumps. Concerns about the leakage of weaponry and explosives intothe population were fueled by a recent Foreign Counterintelligence reportthat Russian police had seized more than 42 tons of high explosives illegallyin private hands during 1994. That report was carried in the April 21 issueof Perm’s Zvezda newspaper.

Privatization Gone Wild.