1.   As the negotiations grind on, time is passing towards the deadline.

2.   As the baseball negotiations grind on, an old aphorism comes to mind.

3.   At the end of October the negotiations essentially ground to a halt.

4.   By August, negotiations ground to a bitter stalemate.

5.   Israeli-Palestinian negotiations ground to a halt in March when Israel began building a Jewish housing estate in Arab east Jerusalem.

6.   The negotiations have ground to virtual standstill.

7.   Israeli-Syrian negotiations ground to a halt five months ago amid disagreements over security arrangements on the Golan Heights to accompany any Israeli withdrawal.