UKRAINE: CRIMEAN PARLIAMENT REACTS TO UKRAINIAN MOVE.

UKRAINE: CRIMEAN PARLIAMENT REACTS TO UKRAINIAN MOVE.

The presidium of the parliament of Crimea, UkraineÕs only autonomous entity, announced yesterday that it reserves the right to lift its moratorium on calling a referendum on the status of the peninsula, that is, on whether or not to secede from Ukraine. (10) Crimean leaders were reacting to the news, announced the day before, that in the draft of the new Ukrainian Constitution currently under consideration by Ukrainian lawmakers, Crimea would have not a constitution but a charter. The Crimean parliament also threatened yesterday to restore CrimeaÕs Constitution of May 1992, which gave the peninsula some of the attributes of a sovereign state. That constitution was annulled by the Ukrainian parliament in March last year. KievÕs relations with its rebellious autonomy have often in the past been a litmus test of Ukrainian-Russian relations. Ukraine is hoping that the visit of President Boris Yeltsin to Kiev, scheduled for April 4, will set relations on a new footing. The two sides are to sign a friendship treaty according to which Russia will recognize UkraineÕs territorial integrity within its present borders.

Lithuania and Poland Stress Mutual Security.