51.   Sharon has demanded that Barak stop contacts with the Palestinians while violence persists.

52.   Some violence in Kosovo persisted, though on a lesser scale.

53.   The daily violence has persisted despite a Mideast truce declared nearly three weeks ago.

54.   The elections were meant to return a semblance of normalcy to the country, but violence has persisted.

55.   The low-level violence persisted Monday as Israel launched missile attacks on Lebanese targets in response to guerrilla assaults.

56.   The peace efforts could take a back seat if violence persists.

57.   The president negotiated a cease-fire agreement between Israel and the Palestinians during a crisis summit in Egypt last week but the violence has persisted.

58.   The statement emphasized that the talks have been taking place with the knowledge of Sharon, who has said he will not negotiate while violence persists.

59.   The violence persisted after Israeli and Palestinian field commanders in Ramallah and in the Gaza Strip held talks Friday morning.

60.   The violence persisted despite local efforts to calm the tensions and a Saudi proposal to end the decades-old Israel-Arab conflict.