ROSTOV POLICE OFFICERS DETAIN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, April 12, 2002
Employees of the Rostov police are performing the Foreigner preventive operation aimed at finding and detaining illegal immigrants and prevention of infractions committed by them.
Today the Rostov Region is one of the leaders in the Russian Federation in the number of illegal immigrants. Most of them are from CIS countries. Besides, there are many people from Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc. most of illegal immigrants do not even try to receive a residence permit or the status of refugee, let alone citizenship.
The growth of immigration is making grounds for interethnic conflicts. There have been a number of tiffs already between local Cossacks and Meskhetian Turks and Chechens.
ZYUGANOV WOULD BE AN OUTSIDER IF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TOOK PLACE NOW
Moskovsky Komsomolets, April 12, 2002
ROMIR pollsters have recorded some curious results. They interviewed people about whom they would vote for if the next presidential election took place next Sunday. They found out that there are only three people who can aspire to this position in Russia: Vladimir Putin supported by 62% of Russians, Gennady Zyuganov supported by 8.8% of respondents, and Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who appeals to 3.3% of Russians. Other figures have gained no more than 1-2%.
ALEXANDER LOTOREV TO MANAGE DUMA ECONOMY
Rossiiskaya Gazeta, April 12, 2002, p. 2
Alexaner Lotorev, deputy from the Russian Regions deputy group, has become the new Duma chief-of-staff. He will have about 2,000 subordinates. He has announced already that there will be no extensive dismissals in the staff in the near future. He thinks that first of all, it is necessary to make up for the losses that the staff has suffered in the course of the recent change of authorities.
Recently, former Duma chief-of-staff Nikolai Troshkin said goodbye to his subordinates. According to our sources, he told the personnel about the end of the State Auditing Commission’s audit of the Duma. He said, “The things we were accused of have not been confirmed. The auditors found some petty flaws, but who does not have them?”
OLIGARCHS APPEAL TO LUKASHENKO
Tribuna, April 12, 2002, p. 2
Before the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union State, scheduled for April 12, its chairman Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Moscow.
It is not known how Lukashenko spent this day in Moscow. His press service only reported they he would hold a number of working meetings. He is likely to have met with some Russian tycoons, to whom he insistently offers shares in Belarussian enterprises.
On the eve of Lukashenko’s visit to Moscow, he was visited by LUKoil President Vagit Alekperov, Surgutneftegaz President Vladimir Bogdanov, head of Itera Igor Makarov, and head of Slavneft Mikhail Gutseriev. Even head of the brewery company Baltika, who is said to have been offended with Lukashenko, came to the negotiations too. The aim of such meetings is clear: it is necessary to make a good impression on Russian businessmen in order that they might invest as much as possible in enterprises of Belarus. Although Lukashenko announced at his meeting with Bogdanov that here will be no hurry about privatization, he must be aware that the number of infeasible enterprises is growing in Belarus. Now 60% of Belarus’ enterprises are unfeasible.
