PEACE IN OUR TIME?

Russia and Japan have agreed to establish a joint commission at the level of foreign minister to draft a formal peace treaty ending the hostilities of World War II. The central issue, now as for the past 50 years, is the status of the four southern Kuril Islands (called the Northern Territories in Japan). Both sides may see 1998 as a window of opportunity for compromise before Russia’s presidential campaign heats up in 1999.