31.   They support the merger, the companies said, and will remain shareholders.

32.   Two large health insurers, Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Health Insurance Plan, or HIP, joined Vacco in supporting the merger.

33.   Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles said Thursday his state would go to court to support the merger.

34.   Although Berlin as a whole supported the merger, East Berliners also voted against it, projections showed.

35.   He reiterated that his party supported a merger between the two municipal councils but opposed mergers between the district boards and the two councils.

36.   He said he supports a merger between Big C stores and Lotus Supercenters, in which his company holds minority stakes.

37.   Obuchi and Takahashi discussed ways the government might support the merger, Obuchi told an upper house budget committee Friday morning.

38.   The companies said they were checking with key shareholders to see if they would support a merger, which would require government approval.

39.   The deal requires approval from the government, which was likely to support a merger as a way of keeping the companies in Norwegian hands.

40.   The governments that control the companies each support the merger.