71.   In mid-afternoon airline officials had the sombre task of handing out a simply worded statement to family members that extinguished any brief flickers of hope.

72.   In the carefully worded statement, Chretien went from condemnation of the hostage-taking to appeals for an end to the six-month military campaign in Chechnya.

73.   The FLNC, one of the factions on the French-administered Mediterranean island, last month issued a strongly worded statement denouncing Juppe personally.

74.   The Islamic Resistance Movement HAMAS renewed Wednesday warnings to the Palestinian Authority not to attempt to disarm Moslem militants in a strongly worded statement.