He had plenty in reserve, and it seemed likely that he would be able to withstand the late showdown.

It should have been obvious that in this latest showdown between Washington and Baghdad the only victims are the Iraqi people.

That will bring it down to roughly the force that the United States had in the region before the latest showdown over United Nations inspections of Iraqi weapons programs began in the fall.

IT'S another June evening in baseball and the Boston Red Sox are visiting New York for the latest showdown with their archenemy, the Yankees.

The latest showdown began Sept. 21, when Mr. Yeltsin dissolved the Parliament and soon after ringed its headquarters with troops and barbed wire.

Deputies converged on Moscow today from the far reaches of Russia for the latest showdown with President Boris N. Yeltsin.

They presented it as a victory in the latest showdown with Mr. Hussein.

A Heated Showdown The latest showdown, which Mr. Mingle described as "somewhat heated," came on Monday afternoon during a conference call lasting nearly three hours.

Ever since the latest showdown, the Administration has declined to issue an ultimatum and said there is no timetable for an attack.

The Hamas government, which has struggled with financial problems and internal Palestinian fighting since taking office in March, has received a surge of support over the latest showdown with Israel.