The delegations declared that Soviet-American cooperation would be expanded in the areas of food processing, energy, construction equipment, medical products, and the service sector.

And it was the most striking example of Soviet-American cooperation within the international organization.

Soviet-American economic cooperation will allow the United States to remain more closely engaged with the Soviets, the Americans argued.

They are helping it along by pressing President Bush to take an ever tougher line against Soviet-American economic cooperation.

Dr. Barsukov said the meeting "makes us very optimistic" about the prospects for "deeper and broader" Soviet-American cooperation in exploring the planets.

So what role will there be for Soviet-American diplomatic cooperation?

There was even Soviet-American cooperation last July on a Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire.

"For its part," he added, "the Soviet Union is ready to continue and to deepen mutually advantageous Soviet-American cooperation on the broadest range of issues."

Whether Soviet-American cooperation will really persist in the Middle East region could depend how events unfold in Iraq.

Soviet-American cooperation last summer produced a Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire.