SWISS PROSECUTOR QUIETLY LEAVES MOSCOW.

Swiss Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte left Russia yesterday quietly, and a number of media today emphasized the fact that she apparently did not bring to Russia stacks of “kompromat” (compromising materials) concerning top Russian officials, as had been expected. Del Ponte held more than ten hours of talks with Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Skuratov on March 23 and continued them yesterday. Russian news agencies quoted an Russian Interior Ministry source as saying that Del Ponte herself–during a meeting yesterday with Russian Interior Minister Sergei Stepashin–said that she had brought no material to compromise anyone, but that she had handed over to Skuratov evidence of “dubious financial operations by Russian citizens, which need joint checking by the law enforcement agencies of the two countries” (Russian agencies, March 24). One newspaper today reiterated its reports of the last week that top Russia officials have Swiss bank accounts. The paper claimed today that these accounts hold huge sums from kickbacks, the export of raw materials and the illegal sale of weapons (Moskovsky komsomolets, March 25).

MERI ON THE SOURCES OF RUSSIAN CONDUCT.