21.   His polls numbers are likely to grow if the deal goes through and the crew is released.

22.   Less than three hours later, Ambassador Joseph Prueher delivered that letter and was told the crew would be released.

23.   Lord, the former ambassador, said he feared things could worsen if the Chinese do not release the U.S. crew.

24.   On Wednesday, the Azeri government sent the cargo plane back to Russia, and released the crew.

25.   One senior administration official who was briefed on the talks said negotiations were slowly moving closer to a way to release the crew.

26.   Seoul is also angry that the North has not released the crew of a South Korean trawler that had drifted into North Korean waters in June.

27.   Still, a senior U.S. official said there was no assurance the crew would be released.

28.   The crew were later released on bail.

29.   The EU has insisted there will be no negotiations with Canada until the Estai and its crew are released.

30.   The crew was released last week after protracted negotiations.