1.   But if no acceptable accord is reached soon, the United States will boycott the gathering.

2.   Russia has been absent from the NATO summit meeting here, boycotting the gathering because it profoundly objects to the NATO bombing of its Slavic cousins in Serbia.

3.   The Bush administration, impatient with the unruly preparations, has thought about boycotting the gathering.

4.   Palestinian officials said Wednesday they will attend a regional business conference in Amman later this month, withdrawing earlier threats to boycott the gathering.

5.   But the FNL and FDD boycotted the gathering, and only former rebel leaders now living in exile attended.

6.   Central African Republic President Ange-Felix Patasse issued several decrees late Wednesday in a bid to appease opposition groups that had threatened to boycott the gathering.

7.   Iran and Saudi Arabia had threatened to boycott the gathering if Qatar, the only Gulf state with ties to Israel, did not shut down the low-level office.

8.   Russia and Belarus, also partners, boycotted the gathering because of opposition to the airstrikes.

9.   The United States has threatened to boycott the gathering over references to the Middle East conflict and African demands for slavery reparations in a proposed convention document.

10.   The talks opened on February but are running eight days behind schedule because the MLC boycotted the gathering until Wednesday.