Diplomacy: FOR ALBRIGHT, THE PAST IS ANOTHER COUNTRY

After the NATO summit in Spain next week, Secretary of State MADELEINE ALBRIGHT will travel to Eastern Europe to assuage the hard feelings of countries not on the list for immediate admission and to congratulate those who are, like her homeland, the Czech Republic. Though State Department officials say her visit to Prague will deal with NATO matters only, Albright will inevitably have to address her recently revealed Jewish heritage. Aides say she might consider a pilgrimage to the Pinkas Synagogue, where the names of 80,000 Holocaust victims are inscribed on the walls. Among them are five members of Albright's family, including her grandfather and grandmother.

--By Ann Blackman