11.  While Turkey is a member of the western defence alliance, the United States considers that Iran supports international terrorism.

12.  Moscow is bitterly opposed to membership of the western defence alliance for any of its former Soviet bloc territories.

13.  Moscow remains deeply opposed to its former allies joining the western defence organisation.

14.  Moscow is bitterly opposed to Polish membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation while Warsaw is equally determined to join the western defence alliance.

15.  Russian leaders have come forward with harsh criticism of NATO plans to incorporate countries like Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary into the western defence alliance.

16.  Russian President Vladimir Putin has uncovered a weapon that is breaching Western defences as few other arms have done -- the killer joke.

17.  The discussions over NATO are designed to allay Russian fears over the application of former Soviet satellite states to join the western defence alliance.