51.   US Trade Representative Mickey Kantor on Friday announced an agreement in principle with the government of Canada to restrict the export of Canadian softwood lumber to the United States.

52.   Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin on Wednesday called on the United States to lift barriers restricting Russian exports to the United States, Russian news agencies reported.

53.   The IMF also stressed that quotas restricting exports of energy products had to be removed, noting that this had figured in negotiations with Russia for previous IMF loans.

54.   The ministry said it would relax rules restricting export financing by allowing eligible exporters to use cheaper foreign commercial loans and expanding short-term loans.