71.   The prime minister has promised that if efforts at compromise failed, he would back Orthodox legislation counteracting any court ruling on conversions and the religious councils.

72.   The Russian Orthodox Church, which enjoys warm relations with the government and had strongly backed the legislation, was markedly silent.

73.   They are backing legislation to eliminate restrictions on sales of food and medicine to Cuba.

74.   Union head Donald Fehr immediately backed the legislation.

75.   Wilson has also backed legislation to deny government benefits to illegal aliens and bar their US-born children from receiving automatic citizenship.

76.   Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican presidential nominee, also backed the legislation and is hoping he will be the first to take advantage of it.

77.   The about-face was seen by political analysts as a serious embarrassment for the government, which had been frantically lobbying opposition MPs until late Monday to back the legislation.