Lithuania sent an observer to a Commonwealth of Independent States Minsk meeting on transportation policy, Russian television reported June 13. The station said that Vilnius was "extremely interested" in cooperating with the Moscow-led grouping of states. Lukashenko Asks Old Parliament To Disband.

President Aleksandr Lukashenko asked the old parliament to reduce the quorum requirements for the country's legislature so that the new parliament can convene, Minsk radio reported June 14. The old parliament refused to comply and instead called for new by-elections to fill the 141 of... MORE

Belarusian journalists told Moskovskie novosti (no. 41) that President Aleksandr Lukashenko's press service was the equivalent of George Orwell's fictional Ministry of Truth. Lukashenko has tightened censorship over both print and electronic media, the journalists said. Kiev Threatens To Keep Chernobyl Open.

Unless the G- 7 agrees to massive aid and not simply more loans, the Ukrainian government will be forced to keep its troubled nuclear plant open, Kiev's security council chief Volodymyr Gorbulin told a press conference June 14, Kiev radio reported. G-7 officials have indicated... MORE

Crimean Tatars staged a demonstration in Simferopol June 13 to demand that the Ukrainian government provide them with more jobs and seek international aid to rebuild their homes, Russian radio reported June 14. The Crimean Tatars said that if Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma does not... MORE

The ruling Agrarian Democratic Party opened a roundtable session June 14 to discuss the future of the Transdniestr region, Russian radio reported. The meeting will focus on Kishinev's plans to grant the region special autonomy and on security there now that Gen. Lebed has departed.... MORE

The OSCE- sponsored talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the conflict in Karabakh resumed in Helsinki June 15, BNS reported. In pre- meeting commentaries, neither side expressed much hope for progress. Moscow Paper Attacks Azerbaijani President.

An article in Moskovsky komsomolets June 14 criticizes President Heydar Aliyev as an "unscrupulous politician" who is seeking to knock off all his opponents. The charges come as Russia's Lukoil has received a 35 percent stake in the development of yet another Caspian oil field... MORE

On June 14, the Russian parliament's upper house voted to extend Russian peacekeeping in the Georgian region of Abkhazia until the end of 1995, Russian radio reported June 14. During the debates, deputies complained about the high costs of the operation. To date, this peacekeeping... MORE

Two Turkmens are being tried for attempting to organize the assassination of Turkmenistan's president, Komsomolskaya pravda reported June 14. The paper noted that the trial had broader implications: Russian police had interfered with the arrest of the two at one point when the two were... MORE