On Wednesday, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said that by 1994 Russians had stashed abroad (mostly illegally) more that $43 billion. Lukashenko to Fight Parliament, Court.

Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko said on Wednesday that he would refuse to finance the court-approved legislation which lowers the minimum required voter turnout to 25 percent. (See November 1 Monitor.) Kazakhstan to Sell Steel Giant.

In Kiev, Ukrainian and Western experts on Thursday extended talks on the closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power station, with negotiations focusing on a plan to extend $2.25 billion in credits and aid to the former Soviet republic. On Wednesday, a fire broke out in... MORE

On Thursday, passengers fled a third fire emergency within a week on the disaster-hit metro train system in Azerbaijan's capital Baku. Commuters were evacuated after a fuse burned out in a train, five days after fire killed nearly 300 people in the world's worst underground... MORE

Russian president Boris Yeltsin met his top aide Viktor Ilyushin on Thursday for their second session in as many days, a presidential spokesman said. Ilyushin is the only adviser allowed to see Yeltsin since the 64-year-old Russian leader was taken to hospital a week ago... MORE

Kazakhstan's Oil and Gas minister Nurlan Balginbayev announced yesterday new steps toward development of the giant Tengiz oil field on the Caspian Sea. He said that Kazakhstan's partner in that venture, the US Chevron oil company, will sell part of its stake to Russia's LukOil... MORE

A joint Russian-Iranian statement yesterday claimed that any type of economic activity on the Caspian littoral must be approved by the five coastal states; that before the Caspian's legal status is defined, any unilateral action by coastal states to develop natural resources would be impermissible;... MORE

An Iranian parliamentary delegation is leaving for Baku to monitor the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. Announcing the news, the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Alireza Bigdeli, also said that Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev would be visiting Iran in the near future to pave the way... MORE

Russia's Internal Affairs Minister Col. General Anatoly Kulikov has ordered a search for Georgia's former State Security chief Igor Georgadze and two associates, as per the Russian Prosecutor General's warrant issued at Georgia's request, a senior Ministry official said yesterday. But even if Georgadze is... MORE

The Constitutional Court of Belarus ruled October 30 that the electoral law passed by the existing parliament is constitutional. The ruling means that in the future a minimum voter turnout of only 25 percent is needed for a valid parliamentary election. President Lukashenko had insisted... MORE