81.   Twenty-two former East bloc nations, including Russia, have joined.

82.   What Kozyrev objected to at the December meeting was the launch of a year long study on the mechanics of bringing in former East bloc nations.

83.   While many former Soviet bloc nations see NATO as a guarantee of their political survival, for Russians NATO remains a potential threat to their sovereignty.

84.   Zeman is also expected to discuss how European Union expansion to include his country and other ex-Soviet bloc nations will affect Russia.

85.   Years of foot dragging have left the country further behind other former Soviet bloc nations.

86.   In a statement, the ministers also welcomed troop contributions pledged by non-NATO members such as Russia and other former Soviet bloc nations.

87.   Kozyrev said the individual agreement for Russia excluded it from cooperation being offered by NATO to other former communist bloc nations, and called for further discussions.

88.   NATO will decide at a July summit in Madrid which former Soviet bloc nations to invite, in order to start membership negotiations.

89.   Portillo said the Czech Republic was among the front-runners among eastern bloc nations vying to join an expanded NATO alliance.

90.   Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are regularly cited as likely members of a first group of former Soviet bloc nations to be invited to join the alliance.