But so far the three factions, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazaras, are cooperating here.

Afghanistan is so fragile that it will need vigorous American leadership to ensure vast aid, a major security presence and brutal diplomacy to force the factions to cooperate.

This has meant that the rival factions can cooperate in state and local political campaigns and lobbying.

In the days that followed, the two factions, thrown together by mutual needs, cooperated albeit cautiously at lower and upper crossings of the river.

Yet, by May it became clear that, although a signatory to the March Agreement, Mohammed Farrah Aidid's faction would not cooperate in the Agreement's implementation.

The two factions cooperated uneasily until Dec. 15, he said, when the "moderates" surprisingly threw in their lot with those who had gone their separate way in March.

The three factions cooperated to help defeat the treaty.

And it had seemed that he was making good progress at persuading the two Kovoranese factions to cooperate on this project.

Moreover, all factions must cooperate or Russia may well collapse.

The peace agreement stipulated that all four factions must cooperate with UNTAC to slowly disarm their fighting forces.