Because the first two rounds of parliamentary elections have filled only 120 of the parliament's 260 seats, the Belarusian supreme council does not have a quorum, according to a press release by the Belarusian embassy in Washington. To get around this problem, the country's hopes... MORE

President Leonid Kuchma announced May 31 that he was calling a referendum June 28 to allow the Ukrainian people to state their level of confidence in him and in the parliament with which he has been at odds. According to Ukrainian radio, Kuchma said that... MORE

In the face of threats from Kiev, the pro-Russian Crimean parliament dropped plans to hold a referendum June 25 on the region's desire to leave Ukraine, Kiev radio reported. The Crimean parliamentarians reportedly will soon adopt a new constitution in line with the Ukrainian one.... MORE

Because it no longer receives adequate support from the state, the Ukrainian military industrial complex is increasingly involved in arms sales abroad, Finanosovye izvestiya reported May 30. The paper noted that only 12 countries in the world now spend a smaller percentage of their GDP... MORE

Because Moscow has shown that it is willing to "go all the way" to achieve victory in Chechnya, it now has greater influence over the route of oil and gas pipelines coming out of the Caucasus and Central Asia, Kommersant-Daily

argued May 31. And Moscow has strengthened its hand still further by seeking to have the oil and gas go through existing pipelines into Europe, thus bringing fees to the countries through which the petroleum will flow. But the paper suggested that Moscow's new influence... MORE

This week, the Armenian Supreme Court will begin the trial of 11 Armenians accused of being involved in the "Dro" terrorist organization, the Armenian government announced. If convicted, all could face the death penalty. The case, which prompted Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian to move against... MORE

Talks between Tajikistan's government and opposition reached additional agreements May 31, Interfax reported. In addition to agreeing to an extension of the cease-fire and the return of prisoners, the two parties at negotiations in Almaata agreed to work toward the return of refugees from neighboring... MORE

Kazakhstan destroyed the last Soviet-era nuclear device May 31, Moscow radio reported. Conventional explosives broke apart the device which had been lying in an underground cavity since the 1980s. The radio said that no radiation had been released into the atmosphere. Lenin Out, Luzhkov In.

Moscow's Lenin Museum will be emptied of its exhibits to the first Soviet leader and reconfigured into offices and reception rooms for the city of Moscow, Moskovsky komsomolets reported May 16. The paper noted that Mayor Yuri Luzhkov will now have especially fine rooms in... MORE