Ethnic conflicts, turmoil persist; observer status granted to CIS.

• Position: Commonwealth of Independent States - Includes information on refugee problems in Central Asia and safety concerns over the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Armed conflicts, ethnic strife, political turmoil and violence, economic disruption and rapidly growing refugee populations--those problems persisted in some former Soviet Republics, especially Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, as the UN continued to monitor those situations throughout January, February and March.

On 24 March, noting the desire of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)--a loose alliance of 12 former Soviet Republics--to "foster its cooperation" with the UN, the General Assembly granted it observer status (resolution 481237).

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, during a five-day official visit (1-5 April) to the Russian Federation--the second during his tenure--met with top Russian officials, including President Boris Yeltsin, Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, and Defence Minister Pavel Grachev.

While in Moscow, he also attended a 4 April signing ceremony of an agreement related to a comprehensive settlement of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict (see p. 37).

Tajikistan

The agreement of the Tajik parties to begin a political dialogue on national reconciliation, reached in March, was called a "welcome development" by the Secretary-General on 4 April (S/1994/379).

The first round of talks was to be held in Moscow, under UN auspices, with subsequent sessions set for Teheran and Islamabad on a rotation basis, he said. Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and the Central Asian States were invited to participate as observers.

The overall situation in Tajikistan, especially on its borders with Afghanistan, remained "unstable and explosive", the Secretary-General said. Armed opposition groups engaged in "cross-border infiltration" and fighting with government forces on a daily basis while continuing attacks inside the country.

Instability and fighting in Afghanistan continued to have a "negative effect" on Tajikistan, with a real danger and "unpredictable negative consequences" for peace and security in the region as a whole, he stated.

Another "alarming dimension" was the danger of "confrontation along ethnic lines". Serious tension already existed in the southern Tajik province of Khatlon, the Secretary-General reported, and a confrontation between Tajiks and Uzbeks in Afghanistan could "easily spill over to Tajikistan and other Central Asian States."

The country's economy also continued to deteriorate rapidly, he reported. The transportation system was "paralysed, owing to the severe shortage of fuel", many...