race and gender conflicts completed a three-day training session yesterday with representatives of the high-powered American consulting firm that was hired to coach them.

The consultants, who are based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have also fostered dialogue between the African National Congress and the South African government and among Turkish and Greek Cypriots on that troubled Mediterranean island.

They were encouraged by Bermuda's efforts to tackle the problem of racial division, saying many nations hadn't yet reached even the stage where they were addressing the issue.

Formerly involved with the Harvard University Negotiating Project, Conflict Management Group associates Mr. Ted Johnson and Mr. Rob Ricigliano were flown in under the joint auspices of the Bermuda Employers Council and the Ministry of Human Affairs and Information.

"They were very impressive,'' said Ms Bradlyn DeShields of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, one of the dozen or so Island-based companies and organisations that are participating in the effort.

"I now have a deeper understanding of the nature of conflict. I have been given tangibles, some of the tools I will need to assess conflict.'' Added Ms Arlene Brock, who will oversee the programme locally: "I really believe the participants not only felt something but got something out of this and are eager to practise it in their everyday lives.'' Among the other organisations that are represented in the programme are the Bermuda Telephone Company, the Bank of Bermuda, two law firms, two major hotels and the BF&M Insurance Group.

Ms Brock, who takes over from the Conflict Management Group in January, said that participants were chosen on a first come-first served basis after invitations were sent out to Employers Council membership.

She added that each of those selected made a valuable contribution to the exercise.

"Everyone was focused and enagaged,'' she said. "They each gave something important and unique.'' Among the purposes of the mediation exercise, the two consultants said, was the training of the participants in the art of promoting dialogue, of building "working relationships'' and of securing "a joint approach to negotiation rather than a win-lose'' one.

They also aimed to "change larger structures'' by first changing "attitudes and behaviour.'' "We do a wide range of advising and training,'' said Mr. Ricigliano, a graduate of Harvard Law School. "But our ultimate goal is to fade out of the picture and have the people here continue on their own.'' Both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Ricigliano were optimistic about the future of race and gender relations on the Island, which has problems that are considerably less formidable than some of the other hotspots they have worked in.

"People here should take encouragement from the fact that they're doing something,'' Mr. Ricigliano said. "Most people in the world haven't gotten to this point.'' The consultants said they were also heartened by the quality and commitment of the programme's participants, who undergo more in-depth training in February and then sit through a follow-up session with the two Americans in March.

Said Mr. Johnson, a lawyer who also worked as an arbitrator for the California Superior Court: "This is a dynamic and energetic group of people.

They are not going to let what they learned sit.'' Even so, Mr. Johnson cautioned that the road to greater harmony is usually an uphill one.

"The support we've received from the Employers Council and the Ministry is encouraging,'' he said. "But it's never easy.''