1.   But officials indicated this week that France would not block a consensus on keeping the list to only three countries.

2.   That comment seems to provide room for Mahathir to agree to a target date and avoid blocking a consensus.

3.   The same countries that blocked consensus in Cairo are still pressing for language that guarantees the agreement will not violate national sovereignty or cultural traditions.

4.   Presented with a fait accompli drafted in meetings from which they were excluded, they exercised their collective muscle and blocked the consensus.

5.   A single country can block the consensus that NATO uses to make decisions.

6.   Any one of the member nations can block consensus and thus prevent agreement on the accord.

7.   Any single member nation can block consensus and prevent agreement on the accord.

8.   But differences among major outside powers appeared to be blocking a consensus on the role which the United Nations should play.

9.   But even though it agreed earlier this week with the wording of the report, on Thursday India also blocked consensus on sending the record to the General Assembly.

10.   But Pakistan did not block the consensus, reached after prolonged diplomatic wrangling between the United States, western Europe and Russia, the traditional ally of Serbia.