By the time of the attempted hard-line coup in August, he considered him not only an ally in war and peacemaking in the Middle East but also a friend.

Last week's foiled hard-line coup, aimed at blocking a union treaty, ended up accelerating the independence trend.

It would have accepted the sovereignty the republics gained after the hard-line Communist coup failed in August.

Yet others called for the resignation of Mr. Yeltsin, or hailed the jailed leaders of the abortive hard-line coup in August.

The displays chronicle mostly the tumult of the times - ethnic unrest, the unsuccessful hard-line Communist coup in 1991, the bombing of Parliament in 1993.

The report said that since the failed hard-line Soviet coup in August, a fearful Beijing had actually regressed, tightening ideological control and further stifling dissent.

The failure of the hard-line coup in Moscow will have many consequences; none would be more welcome than a speedy end to Soviet captivity of the Baltic States.

Despite all the political upheavals in Russia since the failed hard-line coup of August 1991, the old, Soviet-era Constitution remains officially in force.

August 1991 Yeltsin leads successful resistance to hard-line coup.

Both republics declared independence after the unsuccessful hard-line coup in Moscow in August, and both say they plan to control Soviet Army activities in their territories.