1.   Rowan whole-heartedly agreed that the company needed to do more to improve its ties to the community.

2.   And finally as Saudi Arabia improved ties with Iran, which long had tense relations with the Taliban, it distanced itself from the group.

3.   A clumsy attempt to placate Russia, and China, in the hope that they will press North Korea to improve inter-Korean ties more quickly?

4.   Bush has made an immigration agreement the centerpiece of his efforts to improve ties with Mexico and woo Hispanic voters to the Republican Party.

5.   But before that, many analysts thought the deal was a conscious, quiet, profitable effort by Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to improve ties with America.

6.   But in recent months India has shown a growing willingness to improve economic ties with Pakistan.

7.   But this is a case he cannot condone if he wishes to improve ties with the West.

8.   Cook said the understanding reached Thursday with Kharrazi would improve ties with the European Union as well as Britain.

9.   In a meeting with journalists in Beijing, Brown said he preferred trade itself as a way to improve bilateral ties.

10.   In one potentially important step, Kim suggested that he might not object if North Korea pushed to improve ties with the United States and Japan.