From: "Bill Howard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Daily news from Moldova. 13 April 2001. Parliament Eyes Military Cooperation Between Moldova and Russia The Permanent Office, ruling body of the Moldovan parliament, has including a draft agreement on military cooperation between Moldova and Russia in the April 20 agenda. The documents calls for the following domains: construction of the armed forces of Moldova and Russia; use of weapons and military machines; technical maintenance of the armed forces; information exchange; social protection of the soldiers and officers, as well as their families; military transport; SOS assistance to aircraft requesting emergency landing, repairs or direction; transmission and radio-navigation; training of soldiers and officers; joint scientific research in military issues; use of shooting ranges and training facilities. The document also says that special agreements are needed for the supply of weapons, spare parts and other military equipment, as well as services on military purposes. Moldovan Deputy Defence Minister Victor Gaiciuc stressed in his note to the draft agreement that the enactment of this document would allow the Defence Ministry in Chisinau to extend its fields of cooperation with the counterpart department in Moscow. Braghis Alliance member Ion Morei, who chairs the parliamentary commission for national security, said that an assessment to the new draft agreement would be fulfilled later. "We have first to study carefully this document," he said. Christian Democratic leader Iurie Rosca, who is a member of the commission for national security, stated that "ratification of this agreement means actually the legalisation and strengthening of the Russian military presence in Moldova." "We are watching the transformation of the National Army into a division of the Russian armed forces," Rosca stated. Independent military experts said that unlike the new draft agreement, a July 1997 agreement on military cooperation between Moldova and Russia is not challenging the neutral status of Moldova and does not differ from similar agreements signed with other countries. Chisinau and Moscow have signed so far more than 20 agreements on defence cooperation. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
