Minsk, 13 September 1996 (RFE/RL) - Russian national security chief Aleksandr Lebed arrived in Minsk today to meet with Belarus' President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Our correspondent in Moscow quotes Lebed's press service as saying Lebed also will meet his Belarus counterpart, Viktor Sheiman. There is no official announcement on the expected focus of the talks.
But the Itar-Tass news agency quotes aides to Lebed as saying the discussions will cover the creation of a joint regional air defense system, the withdrawal of Russian missile troops from Belarus and the training of Belarus military personnel in Russia.
Lebed's meeting with Lukashenka will be their second in the past week. Last weekend Lukashenka visited Moscow, where talks between he and Lebed focused on NATO's planned expansion eastward. Itar-Tass says today's talks between Lebed and Lukashenka will focus on the political situation in Belarus.
Lebed's press service says he also will attend the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) security service chiefs' meeting in Viskuli, southwest of Minsk near the Polish border. Today is the second day of talks involving 12 CIS security chiefs.