because of the most recent budget crisis in the United States, a spokesman said yesterday.

Mr. Bruce Berton, the Consulate's deputy principal officer, said visa and other consular services were suspended "except in cases of life and death emergencies''.

Four days into the partial government shutdown, President Bill Clinton and the top two Republicans in Congress met yesterday to look for a way out of their impasse over how to balance the budget.

Mr. Clinton said he hoped he and congressional leaders could "give the American people their government back by Christmas''.

In Bermuda, Mr. Berton said some members of the public had to be turned away this week from the Consulate on Middle Road in Devonshire. So far, "We haven't had any real emergencies.'' Three of the four staff members sent home, or "furloughed'', were Bermudian, and the other was American, Mr. Berton said.

Pay for the furloughed employees is "a bit uncertain,'' he said. "Every time in the past when this has happened the US Government has always retroactively paid the people who were furloughed,'' he said.

But each time, "There is no guarantee that will happen.'' Bermudians do not need visas to travel to the US, but the Consulate does issue visas for travel to some other countries.

Personal staff of US Consul General Robert Farmer is not affected by the lack of funds, because those workers are paid under separate contracts, Mr. Berton said.

He had no idea when the partial shutdown would end. "We're watching the news like everyone else.'' In the US, the shutdown was the second in a month, and left roughly a quarter-million federal employees furloughed. Nine Cabinet departments were affected, since several regular spending bills remained unsigned.

Mr. Clinton cast his third veto of Republican spending bills in two days, saying it would undermine his effort to put 100,000 new police officers on the streets.

US President Bill Clinton