Second Opinion / COMMENTARY FROM OTHER NEWSPAPERS : PANORAMA : Clinton and Russia

So far, the international activity of the President-elect has consisted of telephone conversations with the leaders of many countries who called to congratulate him. . . . Before calling Clinton, Russian President Yeltsin had a long conversation with Bush, the contents of which were not reported. . . .

Polish President Lech Walesa and Hungarian Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenszky formally congratulated Clinton and informally expressed their regrets on Bush’s loss. A more optimistic position was taken by Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk and his colleagues in the Baltic States. But their optimism is mostly based on hopes for American help.