41.   Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said Wednesday he hoped the border closure would only be temporary.

42.   He urged Myanmar to conduct the talks as soon as possible for the sake of Myanmar people, who are suffering as a result of the border closure.

43.   A spokesman for President Ali Hassan Mwinyi toild AFP the government had not announced the border closure, but was not denying it.

44.   A spokesman for President Ali Hassan Mwinyi told AFP the government had not announced the border closure, but was not denying it.

45.   But a Russian border official told AFP that Moscow had given no official reason for the border closure.

46.   During the border closure, Ethiopia refused UNMEE civilian and military personnel all access to the zone, and imposed a ban on overflights.

47.   The Thai press reacted angrily to the border closure.

48.   Two weeks ago, the border closure was tightened after Israel said it had received information that an attack would occur.

49.   Moreels asked the Israeli authorities to lift the partial border closure between Israel and the West Bank which has caused Palestinian unemployment rates to soar.

50.   Now the Abkhazian economy depends almost entirely on trade with Russia to the north, and this has been disrupted by the border closure.