61.   The documents are to be signed Wednesday when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko comes to Moscow on the first anniversary of a union treaty concluded by the two Slavic neighbors.

62.   The parliament of Belarus on Saturday overwhelmingly ratified a union treaty with neighboring Russia, which calls for closer links between economies and political systems of the two nations.

63.   The presidents have generally good relations and the Slavic countries signed a union treaty earlier this year which calls for even closer ties.

64.   The scandal has strained relations between the two former Soviet Slav republics, which signed a union treaty in May.

65.   The rift between the two countries put in question a union treaty signed earlier this year and aimed at forging closer relations.

66.   The Russian president then met with Lukashenko, who said earlier that he would discuss strengthening a union treaty between Belarus and Russia.

67.   The two former Soviet republics have signed a largely ceremonial union treaty.

68.   The two presidents signed a union treaty last April calling for closer political and economic links, but stipulating that Russia and Belarus would remain separate countries.

69.   The two Slavic neighbors have signed a union treaty that calls for closer ties but falls well short of creating a single state.

70.   The union treaty between Russia and Belarus calls for close relations between the neighboring Slavic countries, but stops short of merging them into a single country.