Mr. Dzhirkvelov concedes that the Soviet regime is "far from resolving the problem of national minorities."

The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) held a conference on problems of national minorities in Europe in Geneva on July 1-19.

Letters on the problems of national minorities in the Soviet Union are taboo now, he said, because "we don't want to whip up emotions" after attacks on and killings of Armenians in the Azerbaijan Republic in late February.