21.   In Beijing Monday, officials of China Nuclear Energy Industry Corp., the negotiating partner, were unavailable for comment.

22.   In addition, Syria has long been a frustrating negotiating partner and despite the official pronouncements is still considered a significant obstacle to a comprehensive Middle East peace arrangement.

23.   Israel and the United States became not simply his negotiating partner but his shield.

24.   On the Russian side, legislators are seeking to find a negotiating partner to sit down with them.

25.   On Thursday, Rabin decided that he had to help his negotiating partner a bit.

26.   Others say the violence delayed the acceptance of Sinn Fein as negotiating partners.

27.   Sharon considers Arafat an enemy of Israel, not a potential negotiating partner.

28.   Since he is their negotiating partner, though, they are also trying to keep from giving an impression that he has done nothing.

29.   That alone should be enough to discredit him as a negotiating partner.

30.   That approach is based on the assumption that Arafat will never be a reliable negotiating partner and that Israel has no choice but to act alone to constrain terrorism.