21.   In Pakistan and southern Afghanistan, ethnic Pashtun leaders said they had seen no evidence that the Northern Alliance was near Kandahar.

22.   In the meantime, there will be new negotiations between Serbian and ethnic Albanian leaders to work out a long-term political settlement.

23.   In the turbulent years of civil war and Taliban rule, councils were small with narrow agendas and were manipulated by the ethnic leaders who called them.

24.   It was a clear reference to the Northern Alliance, and to ethnic Pashtun leaders commanding independent militias in Afghanistan.

25.   Last month Holbrooke persuaded Milosevic to engage in talks with ethnic Albanian leaders from Kosovo who favor independence through peaceful means.

26.   Lt. Gen. Patrick M. Hughes, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the panel that the nationalist goals of ethnic leaders in the region have not changed.

27.   NATO officials also offered new information Sunday about Ibrahim Rugova, the ethnic Albanian leader.

28.   Others predict that Milosevic will finally negotiate with ethnic Albanian leaders seeking independence.

29.   Parliament is scheduled to meet Thursday to agree finally on constitutional amendments and ratify the peace agreement signed in August by the main Macedonian Slav and ethnic Albanian leaders.

30.   President Clinton met on Friday with ethnic Albanian leaders from the Serbian province of Kosovo who favor a negotiated solution to their conflict with the Serbian government in Belgrade.