YELTSIN DESCRIBED AS "BEFUDDLED" DURING ROME VISIT.

President Yeltsin’s visit to Italy was described as getting off to an embarrassing start yesterday. Yeltsin broke protocol by marching straight past the Italian flag, despite attempts to aides to get him to slow down and salute it. Later, when journalists asked Yeltsin why he had said Kofi Annan was flying to Iraq, when the UN Secretary-General had said he had no such plan, a clearly confused Yeltsin replied, "But I never said I was going to Iraq." According to The [London] Times, Yeltsin had to be propped up by his aides on several occasions. Hotel staff had also been requested to remove all alcohol from the mini-bar in the presidential suite, leaving only fruit juice and mineral water. (The Times [London], February 11)

Opposition Mounts to Tatarstan’s Citizenship Bill.