CONTINUED CONTROVERSY OVER RATIFYING RUSSIA-UKRAINE TREATY. Russian State Duma Chairman Gennadii Seleznev told ITAR-TASS on 14 May that "the treaty with Ukraine will be ratified when the Supreme Council of Ukraine considers the issue of the division of the Black Sea Fleet." Hennadiy Udovenko, former Ukrainian foreign minister, commented to the news agency that Seleznev's stance is "absolutely erroneous" and that the ratification of the treaty should not be linked to the ratification of a package of three agreements on the Black Sea Fleet's division. Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on 13 May and in an interview with the Kyiv official daily "Uryadovyy kuryer" published the next day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk said he hopes the Russian-Ukrainian treaty will be ratified prior to Russian Foreign Minister Yevgenii Primakov's visit to Kyiv scheduled for 26-27 May. The treaty was signed by the presidents of the two countries last May. JM

UKRAINE, BP DISCUSS CASPIAN OIL EXPORT. President Leonid Kuchma held talks in Kyiv on 14 May with the president of British Petroleum, Ian Rushby, Interfax reported. The talks touched on the export of Azerbaijani Caspian oil via the Odessa-Brody pipeline, which is currently under construction. A major partner in the first international consortium created to develop Azerbaijan's offshore oil fields, BP is lukewarm about the proposed construction of the Baku-Ceyhan oil export pipeline. Rushby confirmed that more than one pipeline would be used for the export of Azerbaijani oil from Baku. Also on 14 May, the Ukrainian government issued instructions to the State Committee for the Oil and Gas Industry to draw up plans for creating an international consortium to complete construction of the Odessa-Brody pipeline and the Odessa oil terminal, which will have an annual capacity of 12 million metric tons. LF

CRIMEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTS SPEAKER, DISMISSES CABINET. By a vote of 52 to 39, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on 14 May elected Communist leader Leonid Hrach as speaker. According to ITAR-TASS, the standoff between the Communists and their adversaries (see RFE/RL "Newsline," 30 April 1998) was resolved in a political deal whereby the Communists will "pay" for Hrach's election by agreeing to the appointment of Serhiy Kunitsyn, leader of the bloc of parliamentary centrist factions, as prime minister. Immediately after his election, Hrach proposed a motion to dismiss Anatoliy Franchuk's government, and the legislature passed a resolution terminating the government's tenure and ordering the ministers to fulfill their duties until a new cabinet is appointed. Hrach is reportedly to meet soon with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to seek his approval for Kunitsyn's appointment as Crimean premier. JM

UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT REGISTERS EIGHT FACTIONS. The Supreme Council has registered eight factions, ITAR-TASS reported on 14 May. The Communists have the largest faction, with 119 deputies. They are followed by the Popular Democratic Party (84), the Popular Rukh (47), the Hromada party (39), the Socialists/Peasants bloc (35), the Greens (24), the Social Democrats (24), the Progressive Socialists (17). Of the 430 approved deputies, 41 have not declared affiliation with any faction. JM

LITHUANIA SIMPLIFIES VISA PROCEDURES FOR NEIGHBORS. Lithuania has simplified its visa procedures for citizens of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, Lithuanian Foreign Ministry official Arturas Zurauskas told ITAR-TASS on 14 May. He said that citizens of the three countries wishing to make business or other trips for up to 10 days no longer need a written invitation. They must still, however, prove they can pay $60 a day per person for lodging and medical insurance. A consular fee must also be paid. The official said the streamlined procedure aims to boost business and tourism links with Lithuania. JC

TRANSDNIESTRIAN MEDIATORS URGE RESTORED BRIDGE TO BE OPENED In a joint statement released on 14 May, the representatives of the Russian and Ukrainian presidents and the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's permanent mission to Moldova said the recently restored bridge at Dubasari, which spans the Dniester River, is a "symbol of constructive cooperation and rapprochement of citizens living on either side of the river." They also expressed regret that its re-commissioning has been postponed owing to "reasons of secondary importance." The Tiraspol authorities are conditioning the re-opening of the bridge on the signing of an agreement never to use the bridge for military purposes. The reconstruction of the bridge, destroyed during the 1992 military conflict, was part of the agreement reached last May in Moscow. MS