1.   American trade officials said that they did not want to hurt Caribbean banana producers and that there were ways to protect them like subsidies to bring down banana prices.

2.   Because of widespread flooding of their plantations, foreign banana producers that have dominated the Honduran economy for a century, like Dole and Chiquita, have suspended operations.

3.   Caribbean banana producers are stepping up their efforts to hold on to the European market, which buys its entire crop.

4.   Carl H. Lindner, chief executive of Chiquita Brands International, a major banana producer, has pushed incessantly to punish British goods, administration officials said.

5.   Caribbean banana producers need the European Union to maintain its protective tariffs for their economic and social survival, the Caribbean Banana Exporters Association said.

6.   Clinton said he seeks a level playing field for all banana producers.

7.   Colombia and Costa Rica agreed to seek an end to European banana import quotas that Washington charges are unfair for U.S. banana producers.

8.   Costa Rica and Colombia are the second and third largest banana producers in the world, following Ecuador, which has rejected the quotas.

9.   Costa Rica and Colombia are the second- and third-largest banana producers in the world, behind Ecuador, which rejected the quotas.

10.   Dole is the second big banana producer to announce a hit on earnings from market problems in Europe.