ANOTHER THREAT TO THE POWERS THAT BE.

The chairman of the Duma’s Legislation Committee, Vladimir Isakov, has described the question of "how the next authorities will treat the present ones" as "the main election issue" in Russia today. His remarks come in the wake of thinly veiled threats issued on the campaign trail by Yuri Skokov, leader of the Congress of Russian Communities, that his bloc might try to institute criminal proceedings against certain members of the present leadership. Today’s leaders, Isakov told a news conference on November 20, "have nothing good to look forward to." They can "no longer hang onto power," but at the same time, they "cannot hand it over without putting themselves in harm’s way." Isakov called on the next cohort of leaders to act gently toward President Yeltsin. "No matter how bad his policies are, he was elected by the people, so we ourselves are primarily to blame," he said. But he added, "The presidential entourage is another matter." (7)

Treaty Between Federal Authorities and Sverdlovsk Nearing Conclusion.