As Yeltsin's camp continued its attempts to portray its main rival Gennadii Zyuganov as a dangerous extremist, the Communist Party leader spoke cautiously in Bashkortostan's capital city of Ufa, portraying himself as a reasonable alternative to the current regime. Zyuganov told local officials that ``reform is essential'' and ``we cannot go back'', Reuters reported on 16 April. He characterized economic reforms as ``irreversible'' but said communists would carry them out by different means. Zyuganov also assured local officials that he respects their ``sovereignty'' or autonomous powers granted in recent years to ethnically-defined republics like Bashkortostan. At the same time, he argued that a ``centralized economy'' would benefit the development of both Russia and Bashkortostan. -- Laura Belin

Clinton administration officials declared on 17 April that the large underground military complex under construction in Bashkortostan would not hinder U.S. disarmament aid to Russia, Western agencies reported (see OMRI Daily Digest, 16 April 1996). White House spokesman Brian Cullins admitted that the purpose of the facility is ``unclear'', except that it is ``military in a broad sense''. But he added that doubts about it would not prevent President Bill Clinton from recommending that disarmament aid to Russia under the Nunn-Lugar program continue. Defense Department officials suggested that the project is ``defensive'' in nature. --- Scott Parrish

17 апреля 1996г. Радио ``Свобода'' / ``Свободная Европа'' --- Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty