41.   During the Russian visit, Kiet is to meet his Russian counterpart Victor Chernomyrdin for talks on a proposed treaty covering a range of bilateral issues.

42.   The proposed treaty amendments were contained in a letter from UN ambassador Prakash Shah to General Assembly president Diogo Freitas Do Amaral.

43.   The White House Tuesday expressed concern over a possible Chinese nuclear test but downplayed its impact, saying Beijing continued to support a proposed global treaty banning such testing.

44.   Issues to be discussed would include a proposed treaty to reduce noise problems at US bases, he said.

45.   Moscow Echo radio reported that the proposed union treaty had been drawn up by the Russian-Belarussian joint commission.

46.   Omran said experts were not deeply divided on the proposed treaty, but had raised some technical questions including the definition of some terms.

47.   The Arab League wants Israel and Iran to join its proposed treaty on the elimination of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.

48.   The proposed treaty would encompass Russia, the United States, Britain, France and China, all nuclear powers and permament members of the UN Security Council.