Ten or 12 years ago, he said, lobbyists working for foreign interests could make a few phone calls to well-placed officials and sway an issue.

In Bonn, well-placed officials said there are no plans at this time for a visit by Mr. von Weizsacker.

We've seen '56," a well-placed American official said, referring to the Soviet invasion of Hungary in that year.

One well-placed official said that Brazil would now focus on obtaining new money to permit the country to balance its external accounts.

"I'm much more optimistic than I was a week ago," one well-placed Brazilian official said.

"The weapons were put there by somebody who was waiting for a deal to take place," a well-placed American official said.

In some countries, the gushing endorsement of a well-placed official would be considered a public relations coup.

RosUkrEnergo beneficiaries include well-placed officials in Russian and Ukrainian gas industries and governmental structures.

"What they're saying is that the Government has taken strong measures but needs to make it real on the ground," a well-placed official said.

But a well-placed official said more work was still needed.