1.   Medvedtchikov hopes that multinational space projects will thrive in the wake of a successful Alpha project.

2.   Russia is determined to remain a space power, and it has been worried by Western warnings that funding delays could jeopardize its participation in the Alpha project.

3.   Yeltsin announced Friday that Russia will resume funding for its part of the Alpha project, after Russian foot-dragging cost the program up to eight months in delays.

4.   Yuri Koptev, the director of the Russian Space Agency, said he hoped the government would allocate funds to the Alpha project soon.

5.   Experts said that Russia wanted to incorporate Mir into the Alpha project because using some of the existing equipment would cut its costs.

6.   The United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and European Union member countries are participating in the Alpha project.

7.   Koptev warned that if the delay was not ironed out by late May, Russia could be excluded from the Alpha project, Interfax news agency reported.