11.   The accord came together a little later in the afternoon.

12.   The accord comes as Chinese President Jiang Zemin visits German companies, which are anxious to win lucrative contracts.

13.   The accord comes as rising paper prices this year boosted paper company profits to record levels, giving them plenty of cash for purchases.

14.   The budget accord came in two parts.

15.   The pricing accord came after almost five years of often acrimonious negotiations that wove in and out of the courts.

16.   The accord came after a week of intense diplomatic activity.

17.   The accord comes amid dramatic growth in the number of foreign banks, insurance companies and securities houses either operating abroad or providing services to foreign customers.

18.   The accord comes amid worsening turmoil in Ivory Coast, a nation once famed for its prosperity and stability in a region better known for wars and coups.

19.   The accord comes less than two months after Paris and Washington clashed bitterly over transatlantic air routes.

20.   The accord came after violent clashes with Palestinian guerrillas in the streets of Beirut.