KYIV ORDERS DEBT PAYMENTS FROM DEBTORS' BANK ACCOUNTS. The Ukrainian National Bank has ordered commercial banks to transfer money from foreign currency accounts of the companies that owe money to the government, AP reported on 28 October, citing the "Fakty" daily. The banks were told to pass on the money to the state budget and the pension fund as soon as tax authorities notify them which companies are debtors. The order applies to both state-run and private companies. According to the daily, banks refusing to obey the order will face sanctions from the National Bank. As of August, there were more than 100,000 debtor companies in Ukraine, owing more than 8 billion hryvni ($2.3 billion) to the central and regional budgets and 3 billion hryvni to the pension fund. JM

POLAND PLEDGES TO HELP MOLDOVA RESOLVE TRANSDNIESTER PROBLEM. Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski told his Moldovan counterpart, Petru Lucinschi, in Warsaw on 27 October that Poland will contribute to a peaceful resolution of the ethnic conflict between the secessionist Transdniester region and Chisinau, PAP reported. Kwasniewski said foreign ministers from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Poland plan to meet before the end of the year to discuss the Transdniester problem. He offered to hold preparatory talks in Warsaw before the meeting. Both presidents also agreed to boost Polish-Moldovan economic cooperation, which, they said, are lagging behind political ties. JM

HUNGARY, UKRAINE STRENGTHEN BILATERAL TIES. Ukraine hopes that once Hungary is admitted into the EU and NATO, it will be more effective in helping Ukraine's quest for Euro-Atlantic integration, visiting Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told his Hungarian counterpart, Arpad Goncz, on 27 October. At a joint news conference Kuchma accused the EU of discriminating against his country by barring it from associate membership. Ukrainian and Hungarian officials signed documents on, among others, confidence-building measures in the military sphere and developing the Hungarian-Ukrainian border region. MSZ