PRESIDENT Clinton praised Russians yesterday for what he said appeared to be a free and fair presidential election and reaffirmed US support for democracy and market reforms in Russia.
"The Russian people are to be complimented and the Russian leadership is to be complimented ... We very much hope that Russians will continue to support democracy and reform", he said.
Mr Clinton, who spoke to reporters at the start of a meeting with President Glafcos Clerides off Cyprus, said the United States would watch the second round "with great interest."
While he did not explicitly express a preference in the run off, Mr Clinton heaped praise on President Yeltsin and said he hoped to speak by telephone to the Russian leader soon.
"I want to congratulate him on the election, not only on the strong showing that he made but also on the fact that he really supported the constitution, he supported the institution of the electoral process, and the very fact that it occurred in such a vigorous fashion is, I think, a real credit to him", Mr Clinton said.
Officials breathed easier in Washington yesterday after Mr Yeltsin's first round lead in the elections, whose ultimate outcome could affect Mr Clinton's own re election prospects as well as US strategic interests.
State Department spokesman Mr Nicholas Burns said: "We have not heard any significant charges of irregularities by the major party candidates", although a definitive judgment awaits the Organisation for Security and Co operation in Europe's final assessment today.
In Rome, European foreign ministers greeted Mr Yeltsin's lead over the Communist Mr Gennady Zyuganov with cautious relief and said Russia must continue on the path of reform.
"I believe that Yeltsin has a very good chance of being elected in the second round and I hope that is true", the Danish Foreign Minister, Mr Niels Helveg Petersen, told reporters during a meeting of EU ministers.
The German Foreign Minister, Mr Klaus Kinkel, said Gen Lebed's strong showing was "a sign of discontentment in the Russian electorate". Germany had great interest in seeing Russian reforms continuing, he added.