31.   A formal offer from the World Bank to begin final negotiations on the loan, delivered to the Kremlin in mid-April, has gone unanswered.

32.   A month later, the department began meeting with representatives of the firms, laying out its case and beginning settlement negotiations.

33.   ABC has begun negotiations but has not offered a formal bid.

34.   ABC and CBS began separate negotiations with CNN earlier this year in an effort to save news-gathering costs.

35.   After a prickly handshake with Barnett, Barton headed for San Francisco and began negotiations to find a way to transfer to Washington.

36.   After a year of wrangling, the member countries of the World Trade Organization have finally agreed to begin negotiations in May on freer trade in agricultural goods.

37.   After two late-January conversations with Lott, Clinton sent Berger to the Senate to begin negotiations.

38.   Ahmanson said Great Western is putting off confirmation that its shareholders approved a proposal demanding that Great Western open its books to Ahmanson and begin negotiations.

39.   AlliedSignal and Honeywell executives began negotiations again in February after years of on-and-off talks.

40.   All winter, the Dodgers said they would not begin negotiations until after the sale was approved.