MOST PARTICIPANTS NOT OPTIMISTIC. On arriving in Chisinau, Russian President Boris Yeltsin noted that the CIS heads of state "have not met for a long time" and have drifted apart somewhat. He expressed the hope that the Chisinau gathering will serve to "glue" relations between member countries. (On the eve previous summit in March, a Russian blueprint for subverting several CIS member states was published, causing outrage among participants and contributing to the postponement of the current summit.) Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma expressed the hope that the gathering will give impetus to the CIS's further development. His Azerbaijani counterpart, Heidar Aliev, said he hopes the CIS will become "more effective" but as a "union of equal nations [that will not] be dominated by one country " Uzbek President Islam Karimov also stressed that CIS member countries must remain independent. He warned against attempts either to revive the USSR or to conclude alternative unions within the CIS.

TOP-LEVEL MEETING ON TRANSDIESTER... Presidents Yeltsin (Russia), Leonid Kuchma (Ukraine), and Petru Lucinschi (Moldova) took part in a "special meeting" on 23 October convened to discuss the Transdniester conflict, BASA-press reported. Yeltsin later told journalists that he "accepts" the proposals submitted by Lucinschi, but the Russian leader did not specify what those proposals were. Infotag reported that a Moldovan draft prepared for the meeting was based on the agreement recently reached in Moscow at the tripartite negotiations with Tiraspol representatives (see "RFE/RL Newsletter," 10 October 1997). Yeltsin also said Russia's policy is clear: "We recognize Moldova's integrity and independence and all problems must be solved in Chisinau." He also stressed the position of State Duma deputies on the Transdniester conflict does not represent the official Russian stance.

KUCHMA SIGNS ELECTION LAW, DENOUNCES PARLIAMENT. In a speech carried on Ukrainian Television on 22 October, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma announced he has signed the law regulating the upcoming parliamentary elections. But he sharply criticized parliamentary deputies for "populism that borders on madness" for passing legislation without taking into account the financial resources of the country. And he called on the Ukrainian population to show maturity and vote for "morally clear and decent" deputies. Meanwhile, U.S. special adviser on aid to the newly independent states Richard Morningstar told Kuchma that Washington backs the Ukrainian president's policy of budgetary restraint and that the U.S. will continue its policy of "strategic cooperation" with Kyiv.

UKRAINE, ROMANIA EXCHANGE TREATY RATIFICATION DOCUMENTS. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Hennadii Udovenko and his visiting Romanian counterpart, Adrian Severin, on 22 October exchanged documents confirming the ratification of the basic treaty signed by the two countries in June, Interfax and Radio Bucharest reported. Both ministers said the treaty signifies a "radical turning point" in bilateral relations. Udovenko told journalists that both countries have "progressive legislation" on the rights of national minorities and that there is no "political obstacle" to education in the mother tongue for the Romanian minority in Ukraine. But he added there are "technical and financial difficulties" that must be overcome.