51.   U.S. and EU officials have already held exploratory talks on a huge reconstruction program.

52.   Treasury spokesman Alejandro Valenzuela said last week that the executive branch had already begun exploratory talks with opposition parties.

53.   Wiesehuegel said the union was open to new negotiations, and exploratory talks could take place in the coming days.

54.   Wowereit conceded that the PDS had shown flexibility in exploratory talks and that some of his colleagues favored allying with them.

55.   Greece and Turkey will launch exploratory talks to settle their long-standing sovereignty dispute in the Aegean Sea, Foreign Minister George Papandreou said Tuesday.

56.   He referred to exploratory talks going on between Sinn Fein and the British government on a framework for all-party peace negotiations on Northern Ireland.

57.   He said Germany had argued for exploratory talks with Zagreb on the issue but had been rebuffed by other EU members.

58.   His organisation last week had complained that the exploratory talks were not moving quickly enough toward full all-party peace negotiations.

59.   Hoyer said Germany had argued for exploratory talks with Zagreb but had been rebuffed by other EU members.

60.   In October, Fujitsu said it was in exploratory talks with IBM over an array of possible joint ventures and partnerships as demand for technology continues to slump.