NIKITIN WOULD REFUSE ASYLUM.

Aleksandr Nikitin, the retired naval captain accused by Russian authorities of treason for work done under the aegis of a Norwegian environmental group, said yesterday that he would refuse political asylum in Canada. A day earlier visiting Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien had told Russian leaders in Moscow that Canada was prepared to offer asylum to Nikitin, and Chretien suggested he would raise the issue again during a visit to St. Petersburg. Nikitin says he will not be expelled from Russia and intends to prove his innocence. (NTV, October 21. See also Monitor, September 30, October 21)

U.S. Strategic Command Chief Visiting Russia.