The World - News from June 4, 1989

The Soviet Union’s new 542-member Supreme Soviet convened for the first time and chose economist Yevgeny M. Primakov as chairman of the Soviet of the Union, one of the two chambers of the legislature, the standing lawmaking body, which will meet for eight months each year. The second chamber is the Soviet of Nationalities. Primakov, an ally of President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, proposed creating four commissions and 14 committees, including one to oversee the KGB secret police. Primakov said the committees are modeled in part on the U.S. Congress.