RUSSIA MISSES ANOTHER CFE DEADLINE.

Russia has confirmed that it missed a New Year’s deadline set by the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty for destroying tanks and other military hardware beyond the Ural mountains. Russia claimed it was unable to destroy the hardware due to lack of funds. It has been in violation of the CFE treaty since November, when it was due to have completed agreed reductions in military strength in its flank areas. According to Col. General Dmitri Kharchenko, head of the General Staff section for international military cooperation, the equipment to be destroyed includes 6,000 tanks, 1,500 armored vehicles, and 7,000 artillery systems. Only 1,264 tanks, 685 armored vehicles, and 3,453 artillery systems were liquidated by the end of 1995. Kharchenko said Moscow wants to delay the December 31, 1995 deadline — to which the Soviet Union committed in 1991 — to the end of 1998 due to the problem of financing. He indicated that Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan had failed to meet the same treaty commitment for identical reasons. (11)

Russia, Iran Widen Cooperation.