YELTSIN DEFERS TO LUKASHENKA AND RUSSIA-BELARUS UNION.

Russian president Boris Yeltsin failed to keep his promise to obtain the release of ORT TV journalist Pavel Sheremet from Belarus, today’s Izvestia observes in a front-page commentary on Yeltsin’s September 6 Moscow meeting with Belarusan president Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Following the meeting, both presidents said in separate statements that they decided to "remove the issue" from immediate consideration in the interest of focusing on the Russia-Belarus Union. (Itar-Tass, September 8-9)

NATO Maneuvers Underway in Latvia.