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LEADING DAILY CALLS FOR POPULAR BOYCOTT OF 'UNFRIENDLY' STATES. "Komsomolskaya pravda" on 2 June urged its readers not to "wait in vain" for the government to impose economic sanctions against neighboring countries that behave in an "unfriendly" way toward Russia, saying the public should instead boycott goods from those countries. The piece appeared under the headline "By Buying Baltic Sardines, You Are Helping SS Veterans." The paper named the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) along with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Poland as countries whose goods should be targeted; "Komsomolskaya pravda" also published the relevant bar-code information to help consumers identify products from those countries. It also identified Russia itself, Belarus, Armenia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Cuba as states that Russian consumers should support through their purchases. CIS Institute Director Konstantin Zatulin reportedly told "Komsomolskaya pravda" that such a boycott could effectively halt entire industries in the Baltics, the agricultural sector in Moldova, and wine production in Georgia. VY
UKRAINIAN COURT CONFIRMS ILLEGALITY OF KRYVORIZHSTAL PRIVATIZATION... The Kyiv Appellate Economic Court on 2 June rejected an appeal against an earlier decision by the Kyiv Economic Court to annul the controversial sale of a 93 percent stake in the Kryvorizhstal metallurgical giant in 2004, Interfax reported. The court also froze the controversial stake, which was purchased by Ukrainian oligarchs Rynat Akhmetov and Viktor Pinchuk's Investment-Metallurgical Union for the equivalent of about $800 million despite several higher bids made in the privatization tender. President Viktor Yushchenko said earlier the same day that he welcomes the idea of an amicable deal proposed by the Investment-Metallurgical Union (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 May 2005), provided that such a deal is in line with the court verdict. JM
...AS GOVERNMENT CONTESTS NEARLY 200 OTHER SALES. The State Property Fund of Ukraine (FDMU) is currently challenging in court the privatization of 194 facilities, Interfax reported on 2 June, quoting FDMU Chairwoman Valentyna Semenyuk. The list of those enterprises, together with FDMU allegations, is posted on the FDMU's website (http://www.spfu.gov.ua). Semenyuk told journalists that the FDMU lawsuits are largely based on violations of law during privatization or purchasers' failure to meet investment commitments. Asked to comment on media reports suggesting different numbers of companies slated for re-privatization, Semenyuk said those numbers are "invented." JM
UKRAINE, MOLDOVA APPEAL FOR EU HELP IN MONITORING TRANSDNIESTER BORDER. President Yushchenko and his Moldovan counterpart Vladimir Voronin met in the village of Yaski in Odesa Oblast, near the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, on 2 June to discuss settlement of the Transdniester conflict, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. Yushchenko and Voronin signed a joint appeal to the European Commission, asking for assistance in monitoring the Transdniester stretch of the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. JM