41.   No claim of responsibility was received, although police Superintendent C.S.R. Reddy said militant separatists were responsible.

42.   Officials say they have no evidence that separatists were involved.

43.   Sun, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, rejected suggestions that Xinjiang separatists are legitimate independence campaigners.

44.   The ITAR-Tass agency, meanwhile, said the separatists were ready for talks but had made no decision on when or where.

45.   The official confirmed that no Muslim separatist was in the mosque.

46.   The separatists are few and disorganized.

47.   The separatists are willing to delay an independence declaration for up to one year to arrange such a partnership.

48.   The separatists have been in control of Grozny, the Chechen capital, since they drove out Russian troops last summer in a major offensive.

49.   There is some indication that the European mafia is backing the Tamil Tigers and that the separatists are involved in drug-running, she said.

50.   This time, the separatists are in control and they have rebuffed Russian offers to help organize the proceedings.