71.   The Clinton administration has scaled back its once-strong ties with a leading Iraqi opposition group, diplomats and Iraqi dissidents said Wednesday.

72.   The different views, revealed in separate interviews last week, demonstrate the headaches facing the United States in its campaign to encourage Iraqi dissidents to overthrow Saddam.

73.   The Iraqi dissidents said Barzani and Talabani also discussed with U.S. officials plans for merging their two governments administrating northern Iraq ahead of a possible move against Saddam.

74.   The group did not say why Iran is expelling the refugees, but Iraqi dissidents suggest that Iran fears some of the refugees are agents working for Iraq.

75.   The monarch recently held a series of meetings with top Iraqi dissidents in London.

76.   The paper has regular stories quoting Iraqi dissidents, but Saudi opposition figures receive scant attention.

77.   The Syrian Arab News Agency said senior Syrian officials, Damascus-based Iraqi dissidents, Arab intellectuals, friends and relatives attended the funeral.

78.   The United States is backing Iraqi dissidents pledged to overthrow Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

79.   The warm welcome he received from King Hussein in August soon palled as the monarch found that al-Majid was not going to rally Iraqi dissidents behind him.

80.   The United States hopes that all Gulf countries will cooperate with Iraqi dissidents trying to overthrow Saddam Hussein, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.