
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, September 19, 1993                   TAG: 9309190053
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WARSAW, POLAND                                LENGTH: Short

LAST RUSSIAN TROOPS LEAVE POLISH SOIL

The last Russian combat troops in Poland went home Saturday, exactly 54 years after the Red Army invaded this country during World War II and a day before Poles vote in a nationwide election.

The pullout of the 24 soldiers occurred three months before they were scheduled to leave and was part of a deal worked out during a visit to Poland by Russian President Boris Yeltsin last month.

Western diplomats said they believe Yeltsin agreed to the expedited departure in an effort to boost the election hopes of pro-reform parties here and to burnish the political profile of Polish President Lech Walesa.

For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Bloc, Polish parties led by former Communists who promise to slow the transition to a market economy are leading opinion polls - a challenge that apparently has alarmed Walesa's office.

Walesa and Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka have already pointed to the Russian departure as an important success during news conferences and speeches leading up to election day. - The Washington Post

by CNB