July 5, 1993

This week was supposed to be the crowning moment in Kiichi Miyazawa's political life: a chance for Japan's urbane, English-speaking Prime Minister to welcome the leaders of the industrialized world -- and Boris N. Yeltsin -- to an economic powerhouse that he helped to rebuild from rubble. But Mr. Miyazawa could not spare the time this morning to review the giant briefing books for the summit meeting or inspect the work of the 36,000 police officers who have turned Tokyo into a barricaded camp.

Mayor David N. Dinkins recently told of a late-night visit he made to one of the clamorous, chaotic city offices where throngs of homeless men, women and children apply for shelter. There, he said, he met "a big fellow, healthy, strapping guy, looked terrific," who had refused two different shelters that night because they did not suit him. "Some of the people there know the system real well," the Mayor said, with obvious disapproval.

The photographs of Robert F. Kennedy posing with Cesar Chavez during a hunger strike three decades ago are no longer living room fixtures in the barrios here. "Viva Bush" placards were popular last year. Now, some Hispanic households proudly display photos of Richard Riordan, this city's new Republican Mayor, who won a surprisingly large portion of the Hispanic vote. Hispanic voters have historically been in the Democratic camp, and most still are. But they are not the reliable Democrats they once were. They are increasingly less willing to cast votes for an all-Democratic ticket. Hispanic support for Republican candidates in recent elections here and in Texas suggest that some of these voters are slowly, yet unmistakably, changing sides.

Secretary of State Warren Christopher said today that the United States would act swiftly on Egypt's request for the return of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the radical Islamic cleric who was detained on Friday in New York on immigration charges. Mr. Christopher's comments followed intense diplomatic discussions in Cairo over the fate of Mr. Abdel Rahman, who has been accused of inciting violence among his followers in Egypt and whose followers in the United States include suspects in a plot to set off bombs across Manhattan and the bombing of the World Trade Center on Feb. 26.

For Haiti, More Big Hurdles With an agreement on restoring democracy, diplomats say, Haiti must build an economy and support political stability in a place with virtually no tradition of compromise. Page 4. U.S.-Japan Talks to Resume After a compromise proposal by Japan's Prime Minister, American and Japanese trade negotiators will resume talks. Page 37. Car Trips' Full-Speed Return Gasoline is cheap and plentiful, so Americans, many of whom put off vacations the last few years, are hitting the road again. Page 37. An Official With Big Ideas After five months in Washington, Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich is finding that theorizing about policy is the easy part. Page 7.