11.   Despite the rapid release of the hostages, there was little hope that it would provide a needed good-faith breakthrough to accelerate peace talks.

12.   His solution has been to postpone the pullout, which is required under existing peace agreements, and accelerate talks for a final settlement with the Palestinians.

13.   Japan has turned down similar requests in the past, and a Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Hashimoto only agreed that the aviation talks should be accelerated.

14.   On Wednesday, several state-run Syrian newspapers published editorials saying the Damascus government was ready to accelerate talks with Israel.

15.   Schroeder said the EU governments must at long last accelerate fruitless talks about reforming the EU ahead of its enlargement into eastern Europe.

16.   Schroeder said the EU members must accelerate fruitless talks on reforming the union ahead of its enlargement.

17.   Syrian President Hafez Assad is sending his foreign minister here in what could be a productive step toward accelerating peace talks with Israel, U.S. officials said Friday.

18.   Syrian President Hafez Assad is sending his foreign minister here in what could be a step toward accelerating peace talks with Israel, U.S. officials said Friday.

19.   The ambush was the second in as many days amid new efforts to accelerate peace talks between Syria, the undisputed power in Lebanon, and Israel.

20.   The decision was hailed by rebel officials as an important step in accelerating stalled talks aimed at ending eight years of bloody war.