P608 608 TELEINF 03:21:41 leaders in the russian far East and japanese governors. Yeltsin said in his message to the forum, which opens in Niigata, Japan, on Wednesday, that a deepening of economic, cultural and technical ties between  fic provinces and Japan would benefit the entire Asia-Pacific region, ITAR-TASS news agency reported. The russian president said the first such forum, held two years ago, had helped F"ilateral relations between the two countries, according to tass. Japane- se-russian relations are poisoned by the dispute over sovereignty of the Kuril Islands, a chain of previously japanese islands off Northern Japan that soviet troops occupied in the closing days of World War II and have been held by Moscow ever since. DEAD SEA HOTEL, JORDAN - Security and disarmament experts met at this see next page >>>