21.   While NATO weighs the new deployment, officials said the United States was negotiating with Russia on concessions that would allow Milosevic to keep some forces in Kosovo.

22.   A representative of the Guinea-Bissau government on Tuesday asked countries contributing soldiers to ECOMOG to keep forces there until elections.

23.   A statement issued in Paris said Chirac also pledged to keep French forces in Bosnia as long as they are needed to preserve peace.

24.   Another issue in the foreground is the future of the NATO-led peace keeping force for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

25.   Annan suggested the council consider keeping the force in Macedonia for another six months.

26.   Australia and China differed on several issues, including whether the United States should keep military forces in Japan, he said.

27.   Beijing retaliated by severing relations with Macedonia and used its veto in the United Nations Security Council to block extension of a U.N. peace keeping force there.

28.   Beijing retaliated by cutting ties with Macedonia and used its veto in the United Nations security council to block extension of a U.N. peace keeping force there.

29.   But differences of opinion remained on the Kosovo peace keeping force, charged with overseeing refugee returns and security after any peace agreement.

30.   But el-Baz said Egypt wanted to keep the force as is.