CALGARY : NATO Nuclear Planning

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Nuclear Planning Group meets today and Wednesday in Calgary, the Wild West city in Canada’s Alberta province.

The meeting follows President Bush’s announcement last week that Washington is scrapping plans to modernize aging Lance missiles and artillery shells in Europe, a response to the recent easing of decades-old tensions between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries.

In the wake of Bush’s statement, no dramatic developments are expected in Calgary. That meeting will be followed by a gathering of NATO defense ministers on May 22-23 in Brussels, of foreign ministers June 7-8 in Scotland and of heads of state later in London.