STROEV, CHERNOMYRDIN ON GUAM. Federation Council chairman Fedor Stroev told journalists in St. Petersburg on 7 December that the new alliance between Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova does not constitute a threat either to Russia's national interests or to those of the CIS, according to Interfax. But Prime Minister Chernomyrdin expressed his disapproval of the "dispersal to different corners" of CIS member states, Turan reported on 5 December. Chernomyrdin said that Russia has embarked on "serious work" to expedite integration within the CIS. He also predicted that the 23 January CIS summit will constitute a "landmark" in that body's development. The possibility of creating a free trade zone within the CIS is currently under discussion, Chernomyrdin commented. LF

MORE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN UKRAINE. The government on 5 December announced that unemployment has soared by 70 percent since the start of 1997 and now stands at 590,000, ITAR-TASS reported. The authorities also said the country's shadow economy has exported up to $20 billion out of Ukraine in the last few years and that up to $12 billion are circulating illegally inside the country. Some 150 members of the parliament signed a joint appeal to six countries asking that they help repatriate such funds to Ukraine. PG