1.   Ministry officials attributed this increase to higher interest payments on outstanding government bonds.

2.   American officials attribute part of the problem to a shift in government attention to other security concerns since the peasant rebellion in southern Mexico this year.

3.   Association officials attributed the drop to more education and enforcement efforts, including more stringent life-jacket requirements.

4.   Board officials attributed that to a faulty estimate of how many ballots were left to be counted.

5.   Board officials attributed that to a faulty estimate of how many ballots were left.

6.   A senior Israeli official attributed the drop to tightened Israeli security and international pressure on Arafat.

7.   British government officials attributed the erratic weather here and in other parts of Western Europe to global warming.

8.   Bureau officials attributed the boost in household income to a good economy and the increasing presence of women in the work force.

9.   But Dime officials attributed the slow start to the lack of a lending program for small businesses and said they expected the branch to be profitable by summer.

10.   But Indian officials attribute the fish shortage to environmental factors, like unusually warm lake water in recent years.