31.   He also expelled from his party an influential lawmaker who had criticized him openly.

32.   Influential British lawmakers insisted that, whoever they are, the hijackers should be returned to Sudan, where the Jordan-bound flight originated Monday night.

33.   Influential Russian lawmakers warned on Monday that NATO expansion could slow economic and democratic reforms by compelling Russia to increase spending on military hardware.

34.   Leadership PACs also are used to curry favor with party leaders and other influential lawmakers.

35.   Newspapers say they count instead on an influential Taiwanese lawmaker and businessman, Tseng Chen-nun, to negotiate investment protection and compensation with the Cambodian government.

36.   Several influential lawmakers said U.S. bases in Italy should be closed.

37.   Several influential lawmakers said U.S. bases in Italy should be closed and Italian and American investigators were looking into the accident.

38.   Those consulted in recent days include several influential lawmakers and organizations, all skeptical about changing the formula for the Consumer Price Index.

39.   But the department denied a claim from an influential Iranian lawmaker that Iran and the United States have recently been engaged in secret bilateral talks.

40.   The two influential Republican lawmakers, invited by the Cuban national assembly, met with Cuban dissidents after touching down in Havana at midday Wednesday.