A prep course for the month-long World Cup soccer tournament, a worldwide pheno

ed of vandalism and threatened trade sanctions against China for human rights ab

uses . Two months of acrimony finally broke in mid-April with informal talks . W

hen Japanese officials went to the United States last weekend , they expected at

 least one more round of preliminary negotiations before the pivotal framework t

alks could restart . What they found instead , said a participant in the negotia

tions , was `` that the atmosphere was far more conciliatory , and far less conf

rontational and hawkish '' than before . ( Optional add end ) Two specific obsta

cles had led to the collapse of talks in February : Japan 's unwillingness to st

imulate its economy by cutting taxes as much as the United States wanted and Jap

an 's refusal to use specific measurements to gauge improvement in trade issues 

. Over the weekend , Japanese officials say , they found that the United States 

had backed down on both points . In terms of an extended tax cut , the United St

ates became convinced that Japan 's chaotic political scene precluded any near-t

erm commitment to a sustained fiscal policy tax cut or otherwise . The officials

 also said the United States backed off demands for numerical indicators to trac

k Japan 's willingness to absorb imports . U.S. officials had strenuously denied

 ever emphasizing a strict numerical indicator , but Japanese officials said tha

t the United States had privately pushed for indicators . Distributed by the Los

 Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service .

 BRUSSELS , Belgium Russia said Tuesday that it will join NATO 's new Partnershi

p for Peace program for former East Bloc countries despite its earlier reservati

ons , but it hinted that it still may seek some political concessions in return 

. At a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization defense ministers , Russian

 defense chief Pavel S. Grachev told reporters that President Boris N . Yeltsin 

has `` instructed me that I should make it clear that Russia will join the .. . 

program . '' He also denied that Russia would demand a formal side agreement pro

viding it with more status than other countries in the program , as Moscow had s

uggested earlier . `` We are not going to set forth any conditions , '' he said 

. But Western officials continued to be wary , mindful of earlier indications th

at Moscow would demand that NATO agree to some sort of new protocol that would g

ive Moscow more authority beyond the Partnership for Peace program . U.S. . Defe

nse Secretary William J. Perry told reporters after Grachev 's news conference t

hat he still does not know precisely what demands Moscow will make . Grachev 's 

appearance followed a series of Russian flip-flops over the issue of whether to 

join the program . Moscow had been expected to apply for membership last month b

ut balked in protest over NATO air strikes against Serb rebel forces in Bosnia-H

erzegovina . The Russian defense minister is scheduled to provide details Wednes

day about what demands , if any , Moscow will make . The issue of Russian member

ship is important because establishing a formal relationship with NATO is viewed

 by the West as an important step in strengthening ties between the two former f

oes . Some Western officials fear that if Moscow chooses not to join the program

 , it could bolster the influence of hard-liners in Russia who want the governme

nt to keep the West at arm 's length . But some analysts believe the issue of sp

ecial status is mainly symbolic and that Moscow is looking primarily for a polit

ical gesture that will help counter complaints by nationalists that post-Cold Wa

r Russia is not being accorded due respect . Grachev himself appeared to be play

ing to that end Tuesday when he made a point of declaring that the NATO minister

s had been `` listening to me carefully '' and were `` sympathetic '' to Russia 

's plans . The Partnership for Peace program was adopted at a NATO summit in Jan

uary as a way to strengthen ties with former East Bloc countries by giving them 

a sort of auxiliary status involving consultations and some joint exercises . As

 of Tuesday , 18 former Soviet satellites , from Poland to Kazakhstan , have for

mally joined the program , and the Netherlands has announced that it will hold m

ilitary exercises with the Poles some time this autumn . ( Optional add end ) Th

e West 's major objection to providing any special status for the Russians is a 

fear by some other former East Bloc countries that Moscow will dominate the new 

program eventually regaining control over their affairs . Both Western and forme

r East Bloc countries also are fearful about Moscow 's new assertions that Russi

a should have the right to send troops to former Soviet satellites , such as Geo

rgia , in which large numbers of Russians live . Perry and other key NATO minist

ers made it clear Tuesday that they recognize that Russia 's relationship with N

ATO is likely to be broader than that of other countries because of its size and

 the fact that it is a nuclear power . `` Russia and NATO need a solid partnersh

ip , '' German Defense Minister Volker Ruehe said . `` Russia must be treated an

d perceived to be treated as a great power . '' But Sergio Balanzino , NATO 's d

eputy secretary general , told reporters that the Western ministers had already 

decided that Moscow 's membership in the partnership program must adhere to the 

same rules as that of other countries . Even if Grachev and the ministers reach 

agreement in principle Wednesday , officials say it is unlikely that NATO would 

act on the application before early June , when NATO 's foreign ministers are sc

heduled to meet in Istanbul , Turkey . Grachev met with NATO ministers late Tues

day , but U.S. officials said he merely briefed the group on Moscow 's new milit

ary doctrine and did not address the membership question . Apart from their meet

ing with Grachev , the NATO ministers also issued a communique warning that Nort

h Korea 's nuclear weapons program poses `` a grave risk '' to global security ,

 presenting the world with a `` serious '' problem .

 NEW ORLEANS Washington is softening its hard line on the cable-television indus

try . After angering the industry by ordering two cable price cuts in 10 months 

, federal regulators are talking about ways to give cable operators `` incentive

s '' code language for permitting them to raise prices when they add new channel

s or offer new services . Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt 

until now the cable industry 's Public Enemy No. 1 mollified executives gathered

 here Tuesday for the industry 's national convention by suggesting that the FCC

 will consider tweaking its price regulations in the next few months to make the

m more cable-friendly . The early hour 7:30 a.m. over breakfast miffed some cabl

e executives , who wondered why Hundt couldn't take part in the conference 's re

gular session . They gave subdued applause and remained silent during some of hi

s gag lines . But in general they seemed placated . Hundt said it may be necessa

ry to give cable companies a higher markup than the rules now allow when they ad

d new channels or invest in the so-called information highway . `` More refineme

nt ( of these rules ) may be necessary , '' he said , adding , `` We need to mak

e sure that ( government regulation ) does not block any cable company from maki

ng investments necessary to offer the .. . services of the future . '' He stoppe

d short of making firm promises , other than to reassure cable operators that th

e FCC wasn't looking to cut rates more than the average 17 percent rollback alre

ady ordered . Despite the industry 's gripes , Hundt until now has maintained th

at the effect of the FCC price cut on the industry 's financial health was still

 unclear , and could even help it . FCC aides said Tuesday they had no hard evid

ence demonstrating that additional incentives were justified ; indeed , many of 

the nation 's 11,000 cable systems haven't yet calculated the exact impact of th

e average 17 percent cut due to complicated formulas that make each system 's nu

mber different . But cable executives have lobbied the FCC hard in recent weeks 

for changes , and have been highly public in denouncing the new rules . During t

he convention 's opening session Monday , for example , the president of the spo

nsoring National Cable Television Association , Decker Anstrom , called the FCC 

's cable regulations `` a political caning . '' Anstrom Tuesday called Hundt 's 

latest remarks `` a good start . '' Investors appeared to agree , bidding up the

 price of several cable stocks . Tele-Communications Inc. closed at $ 20.50 , up

 $ 1.50 ; Time Warner Inc. closed at $ 39.25 , up $ 1.37 ; and Turner Broadcasti

ng System Inc. 's B shares ended the day at $ 18.37 , up 75 cents . Among the FC

C 's most vociferous critics at this year 's convention were entrepreneurs who a

re attempting to launch new basic cable networks . Representatives of more than 

120 proposed cable channels dotted the floor of the convention center here seeki

ng to convince system owners to carry their offerings . Among the fledgling serv

ices are the Crime Channel , the Ecology Channel , the Filipino Channel , Pet Te

levision Network , the Therapy Channel , as well as channels devoted to parentin

g , home shopping , games and other subjects . The programmers were in a dour mo

od because they say the FCC 's rules have put a cloud over their prospects . The

 current regulations permit a cable operator to charge subscribers 7.5 percent a

bove the operator 's cost of adding a new channel a margin that programmers say 

is too low . `` The incentives just aren't there , '' said J. Carter Brown , for

mer director of the National Gallery in Washington , who is working on the launc

h of an arts channel called Ovation . `` If an operator is going to risk his cap

ital '' to add and promote a new channel , `` there has to be a better return . 

'' Under the current rules , operators will add new channels not as groups but o

n a stand-alone basis since such `` a la carte '' channels are not subject to pr

ice regulation , said John Hendricks , president of Discovery Communications Inc

. , parent of the Discovery Channel . `` If the regulations aren't changed , '' 

he said , `` new services will only be available to the affluent . '' Although H

undt has now put that issue on the table at the FCC , the Supreme Court may come

 to the industry 's aid first . The court is expected to decide soon on the cabl

e industry 's challenge to a portion of the cable law that requires operators to

 carry local broadcast stations . This `` must-carry '' requirement has forced c

able operators to make room for broadcasters by bumping some cable-only channels

 , including C-SPAN , off their systems . If the court sides with the cable indu

stry , cable operators would be free to dump broadcast stations they didn't want

 , opening many new slots for cable networks .

 Women who routinely undergo intensive tests , X-rays and bone scans after treat

ment for breast cancer do not live longer than women who rely on routine physica

l exams and mammograms , two studies show . Results of two Italian studies , eac

h of which tracked more than 1,000 women , were to be reported in Wednesday 's i

ssue of the Journal of the American Medical Association . The studies concluded 

that while expensive tests such as chest X-rays , liver scans and bone scans ena

bled physicians to diagnose the spread of cancer faster , the earlier diagnosis 

did nothing to lengthen survival or improve quality of life . One study , by the

 Interdisciplinary Group for Cancer Care Evaluation in Milan , followed 1,320 br

east cancer patients under the age of 70 for five years . Half the women underwe

nt intensive testing ; the others had routine mammograms and checkups . The rese

archers found that 20 percent of the group subjected to intensive tests died , c

ompared with 18 percent of the other group . The difference in death rates was n

ot statistically significant . In the other study , researchers in Florence foll

owed 1,243 women for five years after breast cancer surgery , determining that X

-rays and bone scans should be limited to patients with suspicious symptoms .

 It 's holiday sale time at your local airline counter . Almost all major U.S. a

irlines said Tuesday they will take you up to 750 miles and back for $ 99 this c

oming weekend anywhere they fly within the United States , except Hawaii and Ala

ska . If your destination is more than 750 miles away , the cost is $ 139 per ro

und trip . As usual , there are restrictions . First , all flights have to be ta

ken between noon Saturday and midnight Sunday . Second , you have to buy your ti

cket within 24 hours of making the reservation . And third , seats are `` limite

d , '' but most airlines said they have plenty of unsold seats available . It 's

 the availability of the seats that is the motivation for the sale . `` This is 

a slow travel period . This late , you 've either got the seats sold or you 're 

not going to sell them '' at the regular prices , said Delta Air Lines Inc. spok

esman Bill Berry . Delta kicked off a similar sale over the Christmas and New Ye

ar holidays and was first to post the sale prices for this coming weekend . Berr

y said the one-day Christmas sale netted $ 500,000 in additional revenue and the

 two-day New Year sale took in $ 1 million . For the most part , this is additio

nal revenue for the airlines , which fly their schedules whether a dozen passeng

ers are aboard or the plane is full . A $ 99 passenger is better than no passeng

er , and no revenue . With their sophisticated computer systems , airlines can j

udge several days in advance of a flight whether they are likely to have a large

 number of unsold seats . The likelihood of little last-minute business traffic 

on a holiday weekend then creates an opening for a `` super sale . '' Even South

west Airlines Co. and Continental Airlines Inc. jumped on the bandwagon , althou

gh each noted they regularly offer lower fares Southwest throughout its system a

nd Continental on its Peanut Fares flights . `` We willn't raise our fares , '' 

joked a Continental spokesman . Several low-fare carriers allow a regular paying

 passenger to take along another traveler for an additional penny or another nom

inal sum , beating even a $ 99 promotional fare on a few routes if two people ar

e traveling .

 NEW ORLEANS Washington is softening its hard line on the cable-television indus

try . After angering the industry by ordering two cable price cuts in 10 months 

, federal regulators are talking about ways to give cable operators `` incentive

s '' code language for permitting them to raise prices when they add new channel

s or offer new services . Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt 

until now the cable industry 's Public Enemy No. 1 mollified executives gathered

 here Tuesday for the industry 's national convention by suggesting that the FCC

 will consider tweaking its price regulations in the next few months to make the

m more cable-friendly . The early hour 7:30 a.m. over breakfast miffed some cabl

e executives , who wondered why Hundt couldn't take part in the conference 's re

gular session . They gave subdued applause and remained silent during some of hi

s gag lines . But in general they seemed placated . Hundt said it may be necessa

ry to give cable companies a higher markup than the rules now allow when they ad

d new channels or invest in the so-called information highway . `` More refineme

nt ( of these rules ) may be necessary , '' he said , adding , `` We need to mak

e sure that ( government regulation ) does not block any cable company from maki

ng investments necessary to offer the .. . services of the future . '' He stoppe

d short of making firm promises , other than to reassure cable operators that th

e FCC wasn't looking to cut rates more than the average 17 percent rollback alre

ady ordered . Despite the industry 's gripes , Hundt until now has maintained th

at the effect of the FCC price cut on the industry 's financial health was still

 unclear , and could even help it . FCC aides said Tuesday they had no hard evid

ence demonstrating that additional incentives were justified ; indeed , many of 

the nation 's 11,000 cable systems haven't yet calculated the exact impact of th

e average 17 percent cut due to complicated formulas that make each system 's nu

mber different . But cable executives have lobbied the FCC hard in recent weeks 

for changes , and have been highly public in denouncing the new rules . During t

he convention 's opening session Monday , for example , the president of the spo

nsoring National Cable Television Association , Decker Anstrom , called the FCC 

's cable regulations `` a political caning . '' Anstrom Tuesday called Hundt 's 

latest remarks `` a good start . '' Investors appeared to agree , bidding up the

 price of several cable stocks . Tele-Communications Inc. closed at $ 20.50 , up

 $ 1.50 ; Time Warner Inc. closed at $ 39.25 , up $ 1.37 ; and Turner Broadcasti

ng System Inc. 's B shares ended the day at $ 18.37 , up 75 cents . Among the FC

C 's most vociferous critics at this year 's convention were entrepreneurs who a

re attempting to launch new basic cable networks . Representatives of more than 

120 proposed cable channels dotted the floor of the convention center here seeki

ng to convince system owners to carry their offerings . Among the fledgling serv

ices are the Crime Channel , the Ecology Channel , the Filipino Channel , Pet Te

levision Network , the Therapy Channel , as well as channels devoted to parentin

g , home shopping , games and other subjects . The programmers were in a dour mo

od because they say the FCC 's rules have put a cloud over their prospects . The

 current regulations permit a cable operator to charge subscribers 7.5 percent a

bove the operator 's cost of adding a new channel a margin that programmers say 

is too low . `` The incentives just aren't there , '' said J. Carter Brown , for

mer director of the National Gallery in Washington , who is working on the launc

h of an arts channel called Ovation . `` If an operator is going to risk his cap

ital '' to add and promote a new channel , `` there has to be a better return . 

'' Under the current rules , operators will add new channels not as groups but o

n a stand-alone basis since such `` a la carte '' channels are not subject to pr

ice regulation , said John Hendricks , president of Discovery Communications Inc

. , parent of the Discovery Channel . `` If the regulations aren't changed , '' 

he said , `` new services will only be available to the affluent . '' Although H

undt has now put that issue on the table at the FCC , the Supreme Court may come

 to the industry 's aid first . The court is expected to decide soon on the cabl

e industry 's challenge to a portion of the cable law that requires operators to

 carry local broadcast stations . This `` must-carry '' requirement has forced c

able operators to make room for broadcasters by bumping some cable-only channels

 , including C-SPAN , off their systems . If the court sides with the cable indu

stry , cable operators would be free to dump broadcast stations they didn't want

 , opening many new slots for cable networks .

 WASHINGTON Chelsea Clinton will step into a teal dress this weekend to be a bri

desmaid at her Uncle Tony Rodham 's wedding , the first nuptials held at the Whi

te House in more than 20 years . It 's a power-political union , of sorts , with

 Hillary Clinton 's brother marrying Nicole Boxer , the daughter of Sen. Barbara

 Boxer , D-Calif . How lucky for the senator ! The Saturday evening ceremony wha

t is surely the most coveted invite in town this spring will be held in the Rose

 Garden , followed by dinner and dancing on the White House State Floor . Hugh R

odham will serve as his brother 's best man . Friday 's rehearsal dinner will be

 hosted by the Clintons and Hillary 's mother , Dorothy Rodham , at a private ho

me here . The last White House wedding was in June of 1971 when Tricia Nixon mar

ried Ed Cox . A spokesman for the First Lady did want to make it very clear that

 the White House bill is being picked up by the two families , not by the taxpay

ers . -0- We 've heard that .. . Bill Clinton might have to play for his supper 

Wednesday night when pianist Peter Nero hands him a saxophone at a fund-raiser f

or Sen. John Glenn , D-Ohio , at the Corcoran Gallery . It 's been a long row to

 hoe , but Glenn is still trying to retire his hefty debt from the '84 president

ial campaign . Wednesday night 's $ 1,000-a-head ticket , which coincides with t

he opening of a new Peter Max exhibit , should certainly put a dent in the effor

t . .. . If a picture is worth a thousand words , then having Bill Clinton annou

nce that he 's read your book is surely worth a bundle . Seven hundred thousand 

dollars , to be exact , for mystery writer Michael Connelly . The author has sol

d the film rights to his partially written new novel to Scripps Howard Productio

ns , according to Variety and just a few months after the president said he love

d his last novel , `` The Concrete Blonde . ''

 WASHINGTON The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that municipal

 solid waste incinerators that produce hazardous ash must soon start disposing o

f it under stringent federal hazardous waste disposal rules rather than simply d

umping it in conventional landfills . The EPA decision follows an early May Supr

eme Court ruling that ash from energy-producing municipal waste plants can be co

nsidered hazardous waste if it is found to contain certain metals or other toxic

 substances . Until the court decision , many municipal waste operators consider

ed the ash from their facilities exempt from classification as hazardous waste .

 Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ( RCRA ) , nonhazardous waste