Government spokesman Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani, quoted in Wednesday's Akhbar al Youm daily, accused the US administration of "backing a continuation of the war" in Sudan, adding: "This is now made clear by its direct support to the rebel movement."

This position "hinders efforts for

The only other viable candidate for the thorny task of mediating negotiations in this northern Tanzanian town between various Burundian parties and rebel groups was the former president of Botswana, Ketumile Masire.

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Copyright (c) 1999 Agence France-Presse

The reports quoted Aguinaldo Jaime, the central bank governor, as saying the authorities wanted to do away with the public having to use large wads of the old currency, the readjusted kwanza, when making small purchases. The largest denomination of the new currency will be five kwanzas, which is worth 5 million readjusted kwanzas.

KABUL, Dec 1 (AFP) - The United Nations has for the first time brought together officials from Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia and the opposition that is fighting it to resolve humanitarian issues, the UN said Wednesday.

Erick de Mul, UN coordinator for Afghanistan, said the two delegations met Tuesday in the no man's land which separates the two sides on the Shomali plains, north of Kabul.

The meeting was "extremely positive," and held in an "excellent atmosphere," de Mul said. He would

"Their forensic expert has carried out preliminary examinations of some of the bodies that had been found recently in West Timor, but there are no conclusions yet on that examination," he added.

SLEPTSOVSK, Russia, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev predicted on Wednesday Russian troops would capture a strategic town guarding the eastern gateway to the rebel-held Chechen capital Grozny within two or three days.

"The Chechen town of Argun is sealed off and, I think, within two or three days it will be freed from rebel fighters," RIA news agency quoted Sergeyev as saying during an inspection visit to an infantry division sent from Moscow.

Sergeyev told Interfax news agency Moscow's

The bill, passed on Tuesday, represents a new approach to two rebellions which have displaced 400,000 people from their homes and seen more than 10,000 children kidnapped in northern and western Uganda in the last 12 years.