31.   Western diplomats in Amman say they have received many threatening phone calls since the beginning of the current standoff between Iraq and the United Nations over weapons inspectors.

32.   French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette earlier Wednesday stressed that the current standoffs must not hinder the implementation of the oil-for-food deal.

33.   But President Bill Clinton has tried to play down the current standoff, saying he did not believe China would attack the island.

34.   Their convoy was blocked by Russian forces in Pervomaiskaya, near the border with Chechnya, resulting in the current standoff.

35.   US Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith renewed warnings Monday that the current standoff between the two countries could escalate into a nuclear war.

36.   Sinha had justified the tax surcharge in the light of the current military standoff on the border with rival Pakistan.

37.   Speaking to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Aziz said his country was disposed to finding a solution to end the current standoff.

38.   The current standoff with neither war nor peace stands to benefit only those who would like to see the federation fail.