MOSCOW LOOKS EAST.

Rossiiskaya gazeta reported May 23 that Beijing hadrejected Russian defense minister Pavel Grachev’s call for apartnership with China, noting Hong Kong newspaper accounts thatGrachev had offered to divide Asia with China for purposes of policingthe region. But Moscow continues to pursue an active policy in thePacific rim area. It remains ready to sell reactors to North Korea ifthe US deal there falls through, Krasnaya zvezda reported May 26. AndBirzhevskie vedomosti (no. 20) said that Russia must look to thePacific rim states for both economic assistance and security accords.

Lukoil Implicitly Threatens Turkey.