By I. Nurmi
Prague, 17 February 1997 (RFE/RL) - Teachers and professors in Tatarstan say they will join teachers' strikes going on around the Russian Federation to demand back wages. At a meeting in Kazan today, the professors and leaders of trade unions representing teachers said they intended to strike for the backpay on February 27. Most post-secondary school employees have not been paid since December.
Iranian Trade Delegation Visits Kazan
An Iranian trade delegation is in Kazan today to further develop relations between Iran and Tatarstan. The Iranian delegation is headed by Trade Minister Masud Karbosiyan. No details of the delegation's meetings with representatives of Tatarstan's Ministry of Foreign Relations have been released.
Tatarstan's Communist Party Condemns Russian Leadership
Tatarstan's Communist Party condemned Russia's political leadership at its weekend convention. The leader of the Communist Party of Tatarstan, Alexander Saliy, said Russia was in a deepening crisis. He called Russia's President Boris Yeltsin a criminal. He also called former Russian security council secretary, General Aleksandr Lebed, a "pathological traitor." Following heated debate, members of the Communist Party of Tatarstan agreed to join the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.