11.   EU officials are also keen to secure agreements on negotiating reductions in trade barriers in the agricultural sector and laying out standards for financial services.

12.   Harbinson was named as the chair of the committee negotiating reductions in tariffs and other barriers to the international trade in agricultural products.

13.   He said the EU was ready to negotiate a reduction in export subsidies but will not agree to eliminating these altogether.

14.   However, ironically, some firms want licences even though they have to pay steep royalty fees, hoping that they can negotiate a reduction at a later date.

15.   Management has contended it would make a wage offer only if the union was willing to negotiate cost reductions.

16.   Nonetheless, Blanco said Mexico and Mercosur have agreed to negotiate the reduction of tariffs on individual trade goods.

17.   Putin said Russia is willing to negotiate nuclear force reductions as he and President George W. Bush announced at their meeting in Italy last month.

18.   She thanked Russian President Boris Yeltsin for helping negotiate the reduction.

19.   Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov and his Chinese counterpart, Qian Qichen, announced in November they had achieved a breakthrough in negotiating troop reductions.

20.   Soccer chiefs Wednesday headed off a strike by Spanish players when they agreed to negotiate the reduction of non-European players allowed on the pitch.