But Western diplomats privately admit that the authorities will never apprehend the accused, given the extensive security cloak Hizbollah places around senior officials.

If it buckles - and a lot more pressure needs to be applied - diplomats admit they'd be hard pressed to come up with those numbers.

But Western diplomats admit that there is no consensus over what action should be taken if any of the warring sides turn it down.

Soviet diplomats admit they have pretty much lost track of all the activity.

The onset of the lucrative poppy planting season may have been one of the incentives behind their desire for peace, diplomats and government officials admitted.

But some diplomats admit they ignore their tickets just because they can.

Some American diplomats admit privately that they are deeply uneasy with their role in destroying the dreams of those who want to go abroad.

But the call for the destruction of chemical and biological weapons raises difficulties, diplomats admit.

Yet it is clear, the Soviet diplomat admitted, that Cambodia cannot pay market prices in hard currency for its oil, let alone its fertilizer.

"We do not have a profound understanding of the Afghans," admitted an American diplomat who has traveled extensively in the country.