61.   A Blair spokesman, who declined to be named, defended the plans.

62.   A Polish entrepreneur and German financier defend plans for a mini-mall near the former Auschwitz Nazi death camp.

63.   At the same meeting, Finance Ministry Mikhail Zadornov defended his plan to increase taxes on the oil industry, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.

64.   At the same time, the German official said, Schroeder would defend European plans for a military role within NATO.

65.   Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko faced a parliament full of angry law-makers on Wednesday, and defended his plans for a closer political and economic union with Moscow.

66.   Bush defended his plans.

67.   But Pikayev and other analysts predicted that the United States would firmly defend its plan to keep nuclear weapons in reserve.

68.   But U.S. diplomats defended the plan and told the committee that it will take effect on schedule Tuesday.

69.   Central Queensland University spokesman Marc Barnbaum defended the plan, saying no public money was used to fund it.

70.   Defending their plan, Bush administration officials noted that while child care money was dropping, they were adding even more for after-school programs.