41.   They said the finance ministry refused to accept their demands.

42.   Her ministry refused to say whether the wheat had been accidentally contaminated or whether farm operators had broken industry regulations.

43.   His ministry refused to ban the meeting on grounds it was being held on private property.

44.   His ministry refused to ban the meeting on the grounds that it was being held on private property.

45.   However, the defence ministry refused to confirm it detected the missile launch, saying the military would not release any information concerning the exercise unless major incidents occurred.

46.   In Bonn, the federal interior ministry refused to confirm or deny the figures revealed by Zuber.

47.   In Paris, the interior ministry refused to comment on the report.

48.   In Moscow, the defence ministry refused to either confirm or deny the Chechnya raids, Interfax news agency said.

49.   In Seoul, the foreign ministry refused to comment on the mounting speculation.

50.   An official source said Sunday that the defense ministry has refused to provide a court with secret intelligence documents on the activities of the GAL.