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Russia to Pull Troops From Moldova
By VASILE BOTNARU
.c The Associated Press
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) - Russia will withdraw most of its troops from an independence-minded enclave in eastern Moldova, but has yet to present firm plans for the 40,000 tons of weaponry that remain in the breakaway republic, media reports said Tuesday.
Russian Gen. Valery Yevnevich, deputy commander of the ground troops in charge of peacekeeping, said Russia would pull out most of its 2,500 troops by Dec. 1, leaving a contingent of peacekeepers, the Moldovan state news agency Moldpres said.
He didn't specify how many peacekeepers would stay.
Yevnevich made his comments in Moscow on Monday, before he and a group of Defense Ministry officials flew to Tiraspol, the capital of the breakaway republic of Trans-Dniester, for discussions on the withdrawal and a solution to ``the surplus of military hardware and destruction of part of that hardware.''
Under an agreement with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Russia has pledged to pull out of the region by the end of the year.
Withdrawal of the weaponry has been halted since last year by Trans-Dniester's demand for compensation from Russia for storing the weapons.
Russia is expected to cancel part of Trans-Dniester's $400 million debt for natural gas in exchange for withdrawing or destroying the weapons.
In the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, Victor Stepaniuc, the head of the ruling Communist Party, criticized Russia's offer, saying he wanted to see the evacuation of the weapons before troops withdraw.
Trans-Dniester broke away from Moldova in 1992 after a brief but bloody war, sparked by fears that Moldova sought reunification with Romania. Approximately 1,500 people were killed in the fighting.
Located between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova was part of Romania until 1940. Trans-Dniester, however, was never part of Romania and is historically linked to the Russian-speaking world.
Trans-Dniester has remained largely a region where smuggling of weapons and ammunition abounds.
09/24/02 10:22 EDT
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