COMECON TO MEET UNDER FIRE

The Soviet-led trade group, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon), meets in Sofia this week for the first time since the collapse of orthodox communism in much of Eastern Europe, with several members saying the group is now obsolete. Poland and Hungary have joined Czechoslovakia in calling for transformation of Comecon. Founded in 1949 at the height of Soviet dominance in the East bloc, it now suffers from lethargic trade among members.