RUSSIAN-GERMAN SUMMIT IS SET.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin and German Chancellor-elect Gerhard Schroeder have agreed to hold talks in Moscow on November 16-17, the Kremlin press service announced yesterday. The decision reportedly came during a telephone conversation between the two men (Itar-Tass, October 21). Schroeder is to be formally elected to the chancellor post on October 27.

Schroeder said following an election victory by his Social Democratic Party on September 27 that he would travel soon to Moscow for talks with Yeltsin. That statement was intended at least in part to ease concerns in Russia that Schroeder intended to step back from the close partnership that had prevailed between Yeltsin and the man Schroeder defeated, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. During the German election campaign Schroeder had criticized Kohl for being overly friendly with Yeltsin (see the Monitor, September 29-30). It was not clear from yesterday’s announcement whether the November 16-17 would be conducted on an “expanded” basis–one in which a large number of ministers from each side would meet on a broad range of issues–as was the case during the last Yeltsin-Kohl summit on June 8-9.

MOSCOW DENIES REPORT OF MISSILE DEALINGS WITH IRAQ.