-Caveat Lector- Russia and Belarus Move To Re-Unite MOSCOW (AP) - Slavic allies Russia and Belarus could agree next month to join as a single state, a top official said Wednesday. A draft treaty would be ready in a month, and once signed, would have to be approved by referendums in both countries, Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin said, according to Interfax news agency. ``Russia and Belarus are strategic partners, and we won't depart from this (position),'' Stepashin was quoted as telling a meeting of officials from the countries. ``We are getting increasingly close to becoming a union state.'' The ex-Soviet states have close cultural, linguistic and religious ties. Many Russians and Belarusians believe their countries never should have split in 1991. Work on the merger gained momentum during NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia, a ally to both Russia and Belarus. Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic formally requested Russia and Belarus to join Yugoslavia in a Slavic union, which many Russian leaders saw as a potential counterweight to NATO and U.S. global dominance. But the proposal of an alliance with Yugoslavia failed with war-wary Russians. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pushed for uniting his nation of 10 million people with Russia's 150 million. He and Russian President Boris Yeltsin have signed a union deal that brings their countries closer together. But plans to reunite the two stalled, partly because of fears in Moscow that Belarus' moribund, Soviet-style economy would further burden Russia's own depleted treasury. Lukashenko and Yeltsin also preach different politics. Lukashenko, an admirer of the Soviet Union, advocates a centrally controlled economy, while Yeltsin says he is for a free market. Lukashenko has also cracked down on media opposition, while Yeltsin continues to assure Russia of its right to free speech. The two leaders may share one desire, though, to continue to be president. Russian media have said that Yeltsin has recently grown more supportive of the union, and that his supporters see it as a way to extend his presidency. Yeltsin is constitutionally barred from running when his current, second term expires in 2000. But integration with Belarus could offer another shot at the presidency for Yeltsin. Lukashenko also suggested last week that if the union state is formed, he would run for president. Some Russian liberals worry that Lukashenko's nostalgia-laden brand of nationalism could win votes among an increasingly impoverished nation. But critics say that neither Yeltsin, with his frail health and low approval ratings, nor Lukashenko, who would face plenty of competition for the Russian hard-line vote, would be a likely winner. Meanwhile, the heads of the two countries' central banks recommended that the Russian ruble be used as the union's single currency, deputy chief of the Russian Central Bank, Oleg Mozhaiskov, said Wednesday in the press. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
