21.   An influential religious leader condemned the crackdown.

22.   An influential Asian leader is traveling to Los Angeles on Sunday.

23.   An influential ethnic Albanian leader called Friday for a three-month moratorium on terrorist actions against Serb targets in restive Kosovo province.

24.   An influential South Korean religious leader said Sunday he wants to visit North Korea to discuss religious exchanges and economic help for the isolated communist state.

25.   Another influential Muslim leader, Abdurrahman Wahid, also has said Islam does not bar women from holding political office.

26.   Bin Ghanem had been pushing to open the economy and strengthen the government to counter influential tribal leaders.

27.   Bin Ghanem also was pushing for a stronger government to counter traditionally influential tribal leaders.

28.   Bin Ghanem had been pushing to open the economy and to strengthen the government to counter traditionally influential tribal leaders.

29.   But close behind Hu are as many as a dozen other potential candidates backed by influential leaders.

30.   Chernomyrdin was endorsed Wednesday by influential regional leaders who sit in the upper house, the Federation Council.