Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze urged Thursday that the former Soviet Black Sea fleet be pared down and split up to resolve the dispute between Russia and Ukraine over ownership of the powerful armada.
Shevardnadze made the proposal in an opening speech to the 11-nation Summit on Black Sea Economic Cooperation, which was held in a 19th century white marble palace overlooking the deep blue waters of the Bosporus strait.The summit's big moment came with the signing of an economic cooperation pact Thursday by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey, Greece and Romania.
But economic issues were overshadowed by bitter disputes among the participants, including Russia's threatened intervention in the civil war in Moldova and fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.
Shevardnadze told The Associated Press he had not discussed his Black Sea fleet proposal in advance with other leaders. "It was a surprise," he said.
Presidents Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine had no immediate reaction.
Russia and Ukraine have been quarreling for months over the 300-ship fleet. The dispute has shaken the unity of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which replaced the Soviet Union.
Earlier in the week, Yeltsin and Kravchuk put off a final decision by agreeing to temporarily leave most of the Black Sea fleet under unified command.
Each of the leaders at the summit addressed journalists and dignitaries from a podium in the historic Ciragan Palace.
They then signed the economic agreement, which reduces trade barriers and establishes a Black Sea Foreign Trade and Investment Bank to improve the region's transportation and communications.
Moldovan President Mircea Snegur appealed for an immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from his country.
By "foreign troops" he clearly meant the former 14th Soviet Army, a 5,000-member force now under Russian control. Yeltsin warned Snegur last week that Russia might intervene to stop the bloodshed in Moldova.
At least 1,000 people have been reported killed or wounded in recent days in the eastern Trans-Dniester region, where secessionist Russians and Ukrainians are in the majority. Ethnic Romanians predominate in the rest of Moldova.
Yeltsin, Snegur, Kravchuk and Romanian President Ion Iliescu planned to meet separately later to discuss the Moldovan conflict.
Romania has sent weapons to aid Moldovan troops, andethnic Ukrainians have crossed into Trans-Dniester to fight alongside the separatists.
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2 copters downed
Two helicopters were reported shot down Thursday and three Moldovans killed in overnight clashes in the war between Moldovan loyalists and Trans-Dniester separatists. There were no casualty figures for separatists.