21.   And it precedes a series of meetings with Middle Eastern leaders in which the administration hopes to restore momentum to the peace effort.

22.   And Mubarak, battling a wave of attacks by Islamic militants, hopes to win favor with Western backers by helping to push the peace effort forward.

23.   And it engendered a strong opposition to peace efforts, which could be recreated now.

24.   And should the federation collapse, the peace effort will collapse along with it.

25.   And the State Department vowed that new atrocities by Serb gunmen would not derail the Dayton talks, saying the fresh brutality underscored the urgency of the peace efforts.

26.   And they want a direct role in the peace effort, which they consider to be theirs.

27.   And so, another chapter in the peace effort concluded.

28.   Another Bosnian Serb representative, Nikola Koljevic, said the Serbs could pull out of the peace effort.

29.   Another difficulty for Holbrooke is that the Bosnian government appears chronically divided over how far to go in the peace effort.

30.   Any major eruption of violence Monday could further delay the next step in the peace effort in the province.