CIS LEADERS MEET IN YALTA. The presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine held a three-hour informal summit in Yalta on 18 August. After the meeting, Russian President Putin left Yalta the same day, saying that the drama of the Kursk submarine demands his attention in Russia (see Part I). The presidents of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan did not attend the summit because of the fighting in their countries with Islamic insurgents. Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov, who prefers bilateral to multilateral meetings, had said in late June that he would not attend (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 June 2000). Ukrainian presidential spokesman Oleksandr Martynenko said the presidents discussed the improvement of economic relations in the CIS, according to Interfax. The summit adopted a statement supporting the process of globalization and stressing the role of regional integration in this process. JM

UKRAINE'S TYMOSHENKO SAYS RUSSIA TO RAISE GAS PRICE. Deputy Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko has said Russia is planning to sell gas to Ukraine for $103 per 1,000 cubic meters, Interfax reported on 19 August. "Russia is going to forbid the supply of gas to Ukraine for any structures, including Itera or other suppliers, create a state gas supply monopoly, and set the price of $103 per 1,000 cubic meters at the border with Ukraine. In fact, a monopoly is to be created to prevent the purchase of gas at market prices," Tymoshenko said. According to the deputy premier, Ukrainian gas consumers will not be able to buy gas at such a price and therefore Kyiv will have to switch to buying Turkmen gas. Tymoshenko recalled that she had negotiated the purchase of Turkmen gas at the price of $50 per 1,000 cubic meters at the Turkmen border. JM