29 June 1999
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Production Of Tatar Autos In Pakistan Faces Difficulties
Problems related to the joint production of KamAZ and Oka automobiles were discussed at a 28 June meeting of Tatarstan's President Mintimer Shaimiev and Pakistan's ambassador to Russia, Mansur Alam, Tatar Radio and Television reported. The sides agreed that two KamAZ and two Oka cars will be delivered to Pakistan soon for marketing purposes. Among the difficulties in the project is the re-equipment of the Oka with a right-side steering wheel. A Japanese firm will reportedly handle this problem. Shaimiev said that he "doesn't think that our cooperation should be confined just to this project. We should learn more from each other." The agreement on the assembly of Tatarstan-produced trucks and small cars in Pakistan was signed during a visit by the Pakistani premier to Kazan two months earlier.
Chally Council Elections To Be Held
Elections will be held in Chally on 11 July to fill three vacant seats in the city's council of deputies, Tatar Radio reported. The acting head of the Chally administration, Rashid Khamadeev, KamAZ General-Director Ivan Kostin, and Kamgesenergostroi General-Director Viktor Yeltsov are running for the seats. The Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia, headed by Vladimir Zhirinovskii, and the Chally branch of the opposition nationalist organization the Tatar Public Center also have entered candidates in the election.
Kazan Older Than Originally Thought
Tatarstan's Academy of Sciences confirmed that Kazan was founded sometime in the tenth and eleventh centuries, Tatar Radio reported on 28 June. The director of the Institute of History, Rafail Khakimov, disclosed this information in a report at the academy's presidium session on the results of a resumption of research on this controversial issue. For many years Kazan was thought to have been settled in the twelfth century but its 800th anniversary was forbidden in the 1970s by Soviet authorities citing a lack of proof.
Tatarstan's Elders Propose To Call World's Assembly
Tatarstan's Council of Elders adopted a resolution calling for the creation of a World Assembly of Elders, Tatar-inform reported. It is said in the appeal that mankind is concerned about the growth of crime, terrorism, the propagation of war and violence, and the spread of drug abuse. The council seeks "to unite the efforts of elders, regardless of nationality, race, religious belief, or political conviction." The Council of Elders proposes the formation of an organizing committee to prepare for a founding assembly of the world's elders.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova