APRIL FOOLS IN KYRGYZSTAN.

The Communist party (CP) of Kyrgyzstan and the organization Russian Community are launching on April 1 a signature collection campaign in favor of the country’s accession to the Russia-Belarus Union. The CP and Russian Community jointly form the Movement for the Unity and Brotherhood of the Peoples of the USSR. Breaking the news yesterday, the Movement’s Chairperson and CP Vice-Chairperson Klara Ajibekova described the Russia-Belarus Union as a "conceptual foundation for the rebirth of the former USSR." (Russian agencies, March 30) In Kyrgyzstan as in Armenia, Ukraine, Transdniester and elsewhere, Communists oppose Russian President Boris Yeltsin ideologically, but support those of his policies that aim to "integrate" newly independent states around Russia.

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