The hitherto secretdebates of the Russian parliament on the law extending thedraft and limiting deferments were published in the May 23Moskovsky komsomolets. Some Duma members earlier hadunsuccessfully sought the release of these debates; thepublished materials list how each member voted, a fact that mayhave serious... MORE

TheRussian Federation has earned only 300 billion rubles this yearfrom privatization instead of the 1.8 trillion it expected, thedeputy director of the State Property Administration toldMoscow television May 23. Sergei Belyayev said that a majorreason for this shortfall is that Western investors arereluctant to enter... MORE

The Russian government willfloat $100 million in Eurobonds, Moscow radio reported May 23.This is the first time Moscow has sought to enter this capitalmarket since the end of the Soviet Union. In making thisannouncement, Russia's chief debt negotiator Oleg Davydov saidthat he expected little progress... MORE

The upper house ofthe Russian legislature approved a bill banning privatizationof state television channels until appropriate legislation isadopted, Moscow television reported May 23. More significantly,at least in the short term, the approved measure also blocksthe public television company ORT from using Ostankinofrequencies and property. The... MORE

Tallinnwill not extend the July 12 deadline for non-citizens to applyfor residence and work permits, Prime Minister Tiit Vahi toldBNS May 23. Estonia's insistence on such registration has beena major bone of contention between Tallinn and Moscow, althoughit has drawn little adverse reaction from the... MORE

Latvian government officials said thatbailing out the failed, and now closed, Banka Baltija couldcost nearly $50 million, BNS reported May 23. But failing tocover the 500,000 accounts held by that bank could underminethe country's economic recovery. The officials said that theydid not believe this bank... MORE

In a telephonecall to Lithuanian prime minister Adolfas Slezevicius May 23,Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin said that Moscowwould pay back to Lithuania bank accounts which the Sovietauthorities had seized when Stalin occupied the Baltic statesin 1940. Chernomyrdin said that Russia would pay theLithuanian's $10 million--the... MORE

During a visitto Riga May 23, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said that "itis nonsense today for Ukraine to be nonaligned," BNS reported.We are not Switzerland, he said. To the delight of his Latvianhosts, Kuchma repeated his call for a gradual expansion of theWestern defense alliance.... MORE

A bomb exploded May24 outside the Austrian airlines office at the Odessa airport,Ukrainian radio reported. The radio gave no details about thisattack on the only Western airline company serving the BlackSea port. Aliyev: Caspian Oil Deal Will Hold.

Arguing that Azerbaijan isthe master of its own destiny, President Heidar Aliyev said May23 that the large deal between Baku and Western oil companieswould survive challenges by "certain forces and state circles,"the Turan agency reported May 23. Aliyev's comments came at theopening of a Baku... MORE