YURI LING BECOMES MAYOR OF THE TOWN OF NOYABRSK (YAMAL-NENETSK CONSTITUENCY)
Moskovsky Komsomolets, April 29, 1999, p. 2
Ling’s candidacy was backed up by Yuri Luzhkov’s Fatherland and rivaled by acting mayor, a man supported by Our Home is Russia.
SHAIMIYEV WOULD NOT TOLERATE CORRUPTION
Rossiiskaya Gazeta, April 29, 1999, p. 2
Viktor Filipchenkov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry of Tatarstan, was taken in custody yesterday on charges of taking bribes. Faizrakhman Galikhanov, Deputy General Director of the Nizhnekamskshina company, was arrested for embezzlement.
Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiyev announced that so-called “roofs” and mediators had been uncovered in the republic, which declared a war on the criminal world.
NELSON MANDELA IN MOSCOW
Trud, April 29, 1999, p. 1
Nelson Mandela, President of the South African Republic, came on a state visit to Moscow.
On Thursday, Mandela will meet with President Yeltsin. These will be enlarged negotiations, which are supposed to end in the signing of a Declaration on principles of friendly relations and partnership.
Mandela’s itinerary also includes meetings with Yegor Stroyev, Chairman of the Federation Council, and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
Mandela is accompanied with a delegation of businessmen who include representatives of the largest corporations (Anglo-American and De Beers among them). Some important economic agreements are supposed to be signed.
THE ACCOUNTING CHAMBER NEEDS MORE TIME TO COMPLETE ITS AUDIT OF THE USE OF THE PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
Trud, April 29, 1999, p. 1
Among other things, auditors are now checking FIMACO offshore company. According to auditor Eleonora Mitrofanova, accusations in the media against the Central Bank and FIMACO “look like the truth.”
UPDATE ON THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA AND BELARUS
Russian Television (RTR), “Vesti” program, April 28, 1999, 14:00
When the negotiations were over, Russian President Yeltsin and and Belarussian President Lukashenka professed complete satisfaction with their outcome and emphasized lack of discord and a desire to make some practical steps on the way of unification of the two states.
Greeting his Belarussian counterpart, Yeltsin proposed they discuss the most pressing problems only, those only heads of states could be trusted with. A concept of a union state comprising Russia and Belarus was one of them, situation in the Balkans the other.
Yesterday evening, Lukashenka had said he was going to bring up the issue of Yugoslavia’s membership in the Russian-Belarussian Union but Yeltsin cooled him down today making it clear how reserved Russia was on the matter.
Nevertheless, Yeltsin does not intend to dismiss the idea out of hand. It should be kept in mind as an option, Yeltsin announced.
This is where reporters were asked to vacate the premises, and the presidents spent the next 45 minutes tete-a-tete. Sergei Prikhodko, Deputy Director of the Presidential Administration, approached reporters afterwards and said that the two presidents had agreed to continue coordinating their efforts in resolution of the Balkans crisis.
As for the Russian-Belarussian Union, Yeltsin and Lukashenka signed 11 documents today on creation of a common customs space, border policy, and a concept of cooperation in defense and security.
Yeltsin: We discussed all issues related to the union treaty.
CHERNOMYRDIN TACKLES THE KOSOVO PROBLEM FROM MOSCOW
ORT (Russian Public Television), News program, April 28, 1999, 15:00
German Defense Minister Rudolf Sharping came to Moscow. This morning, he met with his Russian counterpart Igor Sergeev, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, and Presidential Envoy Chernomyrdin.
Chernomyrdin said Russia did have some specific proposals but refused to specify.
Sharping: Sure, there is a hope that the problem will be resolved by political means, but we should not overestimate the results of the negotiations.
EX-MAYOR OF GROZNY DRAWS SIX YEARS FOR EMBEZZLEMENT
ORT (Russian Public Television), News program, April 28, 1999, 15:00
Beslan Gantemirov, ex-mayor of Grozny, was sentenced to six years imprisonment for embezzlement.
When the sentence was passed, the man smiled and said that he would appeal to a higher court (Moscow Municipal Court) where he would reveal the true reason behind the arrest and identify those who wanted him safely tucked away.
Gantemirov’s lawyer Konstantin Mudrik says that the prosecution is implementing purely political orders.
