MORE SUMMIT FALLOUT.

The chairman of the Duma defense committee, SergeiYushenko, told a May 15 press conference that NATO expansion would poselittle threat to Russia and, in fact, would “weaken the alliance.” He saidRussia should enter NATO as an “associate member.” Earlier,Nezavisimayagazeta reported that President Clinton had forced Yeltsin to back down on thesale of the nuclear centrifuge to Iran because the Americans had a copy ofthe deal. That allowed Clinton to “trump” Yeltsin and probably means that thebroader sale of nuclear technology to Iran will not take place. (EarlierAmerican “evidence” about Iranian intentions had been unconvincing, a Russianforeign ministry official told Izvestiya May 11.) The Americans, the papersaid, had offered to pay Russia $500 million not to sell these items to Iran;and Russia can recoup by selling other kinds of arms to Tehran. Thepro-government paper, Rossiiskiye vesti, also was upbeat. It said that evenon Chechnya, “the Russian side has again demonstrated its openness andhonesty.” And the communist paper Pravda on May 12 gave additional details onthe Clinton breakfast with opposition leaders. The paper quoted Zyuganov, theCommunist Party chief, as having told President Clinton that Yeltsin is”master of his word: today he gives it and tomorrow he takes it back.” AndPravda said, other attendees had called on the American president not to keepreferring to the October 1993 attack on the parliament as, “a democraticphenomenon.”

“Progress Without Shocks.”