An IMF delegationvisiting Minsk praised Belarusian economic policies and said thatthe IMF board was likely to approve a new $300 million loan tothe republic on September 12, Minsk radio reported August 24. Yevnevich: No Military Equipment Being Withdrawn From Moldova.

Speaking on the fourth anniversary of Ukrainian independence August24, Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma said that the period hadbeen one of "wasted opportunities, significant mistakes,unbalanced decisions and unfounded declarations," Ukrinformreported. Nonetheless, he suggested, real progress had been madetoward improving the lives of the people: the basis... MORE

FollowingBelarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko's remark that the authorsof the December 1991 destruction of the USSR would be damned forwhat they had done, the Russian foreign ministry suggested thatMoscow would await clarification before issuing any response.But former Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk who participatedin the Beloveshchaya pushcha... MORE

In response to the Russian military's inability to pay its bills,the Kaliningrad oblast power authority turned off electric powerto Russian bases August 22, Segodnya reported August 24.The military command has urged the local officials to show "commonsense" and turn the power back on. German Press... MORE

In anarticle entitled "Ruehe Must Not Do This!" the FrankfurterAllgemeine on August 24 sharply criticized German defense ministerVolker Ruehe's statement in Tallinn that the Baltic states shouldnot expect to get into NATO any time soon. The paper recalledGermany's special obligations to the Baltic states and... MORE

The Latvian cabinet approvedamendments increasing the government deficit this year by $90million, BNS reported August 24. That will bring the deficit upto 20 percent of the country's GDP, the news service said. Asa result, Latvia will not be able to do much to contain the... MORE

Russian andChinese officials are investigating the killing on August 22 ofa violator of the Russian-Chinese border by a Russian border guard,ORT reported August 24. The Russian authorities were especiallynonplused because many people violate the border zone in questionand are stopped without the use of force.... MORE

Russian air, land, and sea forces are conducting a large combinedexercise in Kaliningrad this week, BNS reported August 23. Thenavy will stage a simulated landing in that non-contiguous partof Russia, and the air and land forces will seek to repulse it,the paper said. ..As Kaliningrad... MORE

Opposition parties in Tatarstan have refused to participate ina new Presidential Council that Tatarstan president Mintemir Shaimiyevhas established to promote civil accord, Kommersant-Dailyreported August 24. One of the reasons is that Shaimiyev has restrictedmembership in the body to those parties which his justice ministryhas registered;... MORE

The Russiangovernment commission for Russian coethnics abroad has createda special 200 million ruble fund to help purchase textbooks forRussian-language schools in Ukraine and other CIS states, Russianradio reported August 23. Kazan Opposition Refuses to Join Tatarstan Presidential Council.