MOROZ CALLS FOR LEFTIST TAKEOVER IN UKRAINE. Addressing a congress of the Socialist Party in Kyiv on 13 June, party head and former parliamentary speaker Oleksandr Moroz called on left-wing forces to shoulder responsibility for the situation in the country, Ukrainian Television reported. "The left-wing forces should take power irrespective of whether their representative will be elected head of the Supreme Council," he said. "We should not be afraid of the Bulgarian scenario, with which we are being threatened," Moroz added. Official media have warned that a socialist/communist comeback may lead to economic collapse, as was the case in Bulgaria. JM

UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT APPEALS FOR END TO MINERS STRIKE. Speaking on national television on 12 June, Deputy Prime Minister Anatoliy Holubchenko appealed to miners at some 30 mines to end their strike over unpaid wages, Ukrainian Television reported. He pledged that the government will pay wages to all miners beginning this month. He added that the government will not pay the wages of those miners who remain on strike. The next day, Holubchenko said the government will not make any more financial concessions to the miners until the parliament passes necessary amendments to the budget. JM