Expert examination of the audio tapes of bugged conversations of Ukraine’s top leaders is to be completed late February, Editor of the International Press Institute David Dadge declared. For financial reasons the examination will be delayed, the German Wave Radio broadcast on January 24 reported. The Vienna-based Institute is currently seeking an organization to carry out technical examination of the tapes. As Mr. Dadge stressed, the IPI has received copies, not the originals, of the tapes allegedly recording Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma’s instructions to remove opposition journalist Heorhy Gongadze. The IPI became involved in the examination of the cassettes following a request by Ukraine’s parliament inquiry commission investigating the journalist’s disappearance.
