The sudden impulse for political change in China also gives Mr. Gorbachev a strong debating point in his continuing struggle with conservative Communists at home, who would prefer to pursue an economic revival without the disorders of political pluralism.
Their mutual distrust stems from early Belgrade support for the coup attempt by conservative Communists against the last Soviet President, Mikhail S. Gorbachev, in August 1991.
It is a search by the Government of Mikhail S. Gorbachev for authoritative roots for a program of economic and social changes that conservative Communists fear strays from true socialism.
Speech by New Leader The Central Committee hurriedly called its meeting after labor unrest and stormy scenes in Parliament, where conservative Communists demanded an end to attacks on the party.
In a brief acceptance speech, Mr. Yeltsin offered to put together a government drawn from different political groups in Parliament, including the conservative Communists who fought so hard to keep him from power.
Russian president Gennadi Zyuganov, himself a conservative Communist like Chinese leader Li Peng, refused to comment on the possibility of advanced weapons sales to China, yet did say that Russia enjoys a balanced trade agreement with China on the sales of certain weapons, including Kilo class submarines.
The Slovenes spent years goading the conservative Communists in the south into accept democratic reforms.
The bloc of conservative Communists holds 239 seats; the Democratic Bloc, which is now evolved into the National Council, has 125 deputies.
This is an argument that has been made frequently through the years by conservative Communists and then by conservative anti-Communists.
The Reactionaries The tough conservative Communists and nationalists who routinely oppose Mr. Yeltsin and Mr. Gaidar are grouped in a bloc called Russian Unity.