LAZARENKO HOSPITALIZED.

Pavlo Lazarenko, who was shunted aside as prime minister of Ukraine by President Leonid Kuchma on June 19 (see Monitor, June 20), has been hospitalized and may soon undergo surgery for thrombophlebitis and varicose veins. The announcement came yesterday, four days after Kuchma had cited "illness" in suspending Lazarenko from duty. Meanwhile, with encouragement from the president’s office, calls are multiplying for the dismissal of Lazarenko as an obstacle to reforms and as a protector of clan interests. (Ukrainian agencies, June 23)

Azerbaijan Stops Carrying Iranian TV Programs.