21.   But President Leonid Kuchma signed a long-awaited friendship treaty with Russian President Boris Yeltsin in May.

22.   But they have generally good relations and signed a friendship treaty last year.

23.   Cambodia and Laos already have observer status and Burma took the first step toward joining ASEAN recently by signing the mandatory friendship treaty with the other nations.

24.   Chinese officials have said that the new friendship treaty would not contain any secret articles like a military alliance between Stalin and Mao.

25.   During his three-day visit, Lukashenko is expected to sign the friendship treaty with Vietnam along with an agreement to eliminate double taxation between the two countries.

26.   Ethiopia and its former northernmost province signed a friendship treaty three years ago, just two years after Eritrea seceded.

27.   He and Kuchma are expected to sign the friendship treaty on Saturday.

28.   In addition to the seven members, Cambodia and Laos have observer status and Burma has acceded to a friendship treaty, a mandatory clause for joining ASEAN.

29.   Just Monday, Romania signed an unprecedented friendship treaty with Ukraine amid great pomp at a Black Sea resort.

30.   Kiev sees the friendship treaty as an irreversible Russian acknowledgement of Ukrainian sovereignty over Crimea, which many Russian politicians have said should return to Kremlin rule.