21.   States may not trust the federal recommendations or may not have a large enough pool of contractors to exclude companies with past bad practices.

22.   The failed auction two weeks ago had excluded companies that already operate in Brazil.

23.   The local company was previously excluded from the auction because of monopoly concerns.

24.   The law excludes companies from paying royalties to the government for the minerals they find.

25.   The U.S. official said foreign companies were excluded by a number of practices, including requiring licenses foreigners do not have and also forbidding joint ventures on certain projects.

26.   In August last year, at the height of furore here over French nuclear testing, French aviation company Dassault was excluded from bidding for the training jet contract.

27.   In Paris, a French government spokesman said Canberra was using the nuclear test issue as a pretext to exclude French companies from lucrative Asian markets.

28.   Brown said there could be a compensation claim if the companies were excluded at this stage.

29.   Japan Thursday denied claims by the European Union that European companies were excluded from a tender by Tokyo to purchase an aviation satellite system, ministry officials said.

30.   Private companies are excluded from the scheme, which is the first of its kind in China.