July 5
(THE GLOBE on the materials of mass media)
On Monday at about 6:00 a.m. (Moscow time) Russia launched a preventative strike with the help of helicopters and mortars on the accumulation of soldiers near the Chechnya-Dagestan border. The Interior Minister Vladimir Rushailo confirmed this action on Monday after he met the President of RF Boris Yeltsin in the Kremlin.
According to Mr. Rushailo, the strikes were launched on a Chechen armed formation of 150 to 200 persons.
Rushailo announced that the strike, which was the second for the two days, was a defensive measure meant to prevent an attack on Russian block-posts.
According to the information of Radio �Liberty�, the press secretary of the President of Chechnya, Maiarbek Vachagaev, emphasised that they would reply to each blow of a Russian mine or shell in the territory of Chechnya with tens of blows in Russia.
Meanwhile, RIA �Novosty� announced, referring to the officials from Chechen government that at the present time, they knew nothing about the today�s preventive blow made by the Russian Interior army.
The head of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs warned that further preventive strikes will be launched.
�We will continue to do everything that we can to prevent the provocations on the administrative border with Chechnya, and we will not allow their soldiers to attack our outposts and peaceful population,� the Minister stated. �We are launching strikes rather than waiting for an attack.�
Replying to questions about how he evaluates the threats of Chechnya and possible terrorist acts in Russia, the Interior Minister said: �Before there were also a lot of threats, some of them were realised. It�s life. In particular, there was an explosion of the station, reception-room of Federal Security Service, and others. We should be ready for everything. But our reaction is to be adequate, we should respond a blow with a blow, often even to prevent a blow.�
Referring to Rushailo, ITAR-TASS announced that �some� Chechens were killed. There was no information about Russian losses.
PARIS, July 5 (AFP)
The Franco-Belgian oil firm TotalFina on Monday announced a 42-billion-euro (43-billion-dollar) bid for its French rival, Elf Aquitaine, offering a four-for-three share swap in the latest shakeup to rock Europe�s oil industry.
In a statement, TotalFina said the bid, worth 42 billion euros, was equivalent to an increase of 15 percent over Elf Aquitaine�s stock value as at last Friday�s close.
�TotalFina hopes that this offer, which is unsollicited at the moment, can soon be considered a friendly one,� the statement said.
Trading in both companies on the Paris bourse was ordered suspended until 2:00 p.m. (1200 GMT).
TotalFina is ranked fifth largest in the world and third in Europe in terms of reserves and sales of oil and oil-related products. It is the world�s fourth-largest refiner, with a capacity of 1.6 million barrels per day.
It was born on June 14, from the merger of France�s Total and Belgium�s Petrofina, leapfrogging Elf Aquitaine to become France�s biggest oil company.
But in a first reaction, Elf attacked the bid as �hostile� and against the interests of its shareholders.
TotalFina said that within three years, the merger should unlock savings worth 1.2 billion euros per year.
�The project would lead to a reduction of 4,200 jobs globally, roughly half of which would occur in France,� TotalFina said, adding that the job cuts would be phased over three years.
It predicted that if the bid succeeds, there would be growth in net profit per share of �at least 20 percent during the coming years in a constant environment.� The new company would sell assets worth six billion euros in the first two years.
ALMATY, July 5
(THE GLOBE)
�We decided to return to the problems that were discussed 20 years ago, when the historical declaration on the environment and health was approved in Almaty,� the Greek representative of UNESCO Club Dodekaneze announced at a press conference dedicated to the opening of the International Conference �Development and preservation of the environment� in Almaty.
According to the organisers, participants of the scientific conference will discuss the urgent international and Kazakhstani ecological problems and possible means to settle them.
Dionisia Bidzuni stated that the scientific prestige of the southern capital of Kazakhstan was strengthened by the fact that 9 Nobel laureates and persons awarded with UNO prizes in the field of protection of the environment would take part in the conference. The laureates will present the results of their most important research to Kazakhstan citizens. Specifically, both an interesting bio-cultivating method worked out by Greek scientists and the device to measure atmospheric pollution, which will be soon installed in Zailisky Alatau mountains, will be presented at the conference.
According to Mrs. Bidzuni, following the completion the five-day conference, the organisers and representatives of UNESCO are going to hand out �Doves of Peace� to the President of Kazakhstan for his contribution to the development of democracy and stability in the republic. THE GLOBE notes that these Doves were handed out to Bill Clinton, Kofi Anan and other world�s leaders.
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