KUCHMA SAYS ANTI-REFORM GROUPS THREATEN UKRAINE. At a 1 November press conference dealing with a wide range of issues, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma warned that support for antireform parties in the upcoming parliamentary election could threaten the country's future, Ukrainian media reported. Kuchma also said he will meet with Russian President Boris Yeltsin on 16-17 November to seek to end the trade war between the two countries and to sign a 10-year cooperation plan. He added that he will press to cut the size of the country's army. The next day, in an indication that anti-reform attitudes may be growing, Socialist leader and parliamentary speaker Mikhail Moroz pledged to push for new presidential elections, ITAR-TASS reported. pag

UKRAINE'S PROBLEMS IN BOSNIA CONTINUE. The NATO-led SFOR forces in Bosnia continued to hold seven Ukrainian soldiers on smuggling charges and are calling on Kyiv to conduct a thorough investigation, Western agencies reported on 2 November. Ukraine has denied that the soldiers are guilty of smuggling, but Kyiv said on 31 October that it has uncovered facts suggesting the men were involved in the illegal use of military vehicles. pag