For information on the trade policy of the leadership of the Urals region (Sverdlovsk Oblast), please consult the attachment sent to the DIRB by Okno Consulting of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The document includes information on: the politics of Sverdlovsk oblast, known for a period in 1993 as the Urals Republic; oblast trade policy, with emphasis on copper and other raw materials; there is also a short mention in the last paragraph of the requirements for any future trade liberalization.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Okno Consulting, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 29 September 1995. Document sent to the DIRB.