In 1991, he served as leader of the first Western parliamentary delegation to the Kremlin and was knighted for his contribution to the Western Alliance.

"Everybody is consumed by whether the big five issues can be resolved," said one member of a Western delegation who asked not to be named.

Western delegations had visited the Soviet Union during September to research the economic situation.

Western delegations were particularly pleased that, after lengthy bargaining, the conference endorsed an American proposal for the creation of a new post of High Commissioner on Human Rights.

Iraq joined the United States and most Western delegations in supporting the human-rights investigation.

Will the Western delegations sit silently?

Even so, it will be an uncomfortable moment for some in the Western delegations.

Other Western delegations including the entire EU delegation quickly followed.

"The main thing is to put an end to the restrictions and bans that the West keeps stubbornly maintaining," Mr. Gorbachev told a recent visiting Western delegation.

In 1892, Congressman Tom Watson joined the Populists, becoming the most visible spokesman for their predominately Western Congressional delegation.