In fact, the weapons went to the Iranian armed forces and apparently have been instrumental in the most recent Iranian offensive against Iraq.

The recent Israeli military offensive into the West Bank has only increased Palestinian feelings of powerlessness and frustration, Palestinian politicians said.

Reports from the recent offensive near the Syrian border sound just like those from a 1960's search-and-destroy mission, body count and all.

The Moslems hope their own recent offensives will give them room to manoeuvre at the talks.

Israeli officials have said their recent offensive in the West Bank was intended to destroy an "infrastructure of terror" that included recruiters and bomb factories.

American support for Israel, especially during its recent military offensive in the occupied territories, is driving a grass-roots effort to boycott American products throughout the Arab world.

The peace effort follows recent Ethiopian offensives reminiscent of the bloodiest parts of the first world war.

In a recent offensive in Samarra, American-led forces swept through rebel-held territory, only to have the insurgency return soon afterward.

During a recent offensive in western Bosnia, fighting twice broke out between Croatian and Bosnian units, bringing the federation to the verge of collapse.

The fact that all this has been accompanied by a recent offensive against the PKK in northern Iraq only adds to this impression.