11.   Arab foreign ministers meeting here Saturday toughened their stand towards Israel in reaction to the hardline statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week in Washington.

12.   The sharp fall of the dollar against the yen has helped persuade administration officials to toughen their stand against Japan after nearly two years of fruitless trade negotiations.

13.   The rights advocate said it was not clear to him whether the administration might decide to toughen its stand if the war in Chechnya drags on.