SHEVARDNADZE PRAISES STALIN.

Georgian president Shevardnadze told a crowd at Stalin’s birthplace in Gori that the former Soviet leader had made “a big contribution” to world history and that recent discussions of his role in World War II were often unjust, Moscow radio reported May 7. While Stalin remains popular with some in his native republic of Georgia, Shevardnadze pointedly noted that he was speaking for all the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Baku Will Lease Radar Site to Moscow After Karabagh Settlement.