31.   But relations remain prickly.

32.   But relations remain tense, and economic activity has been curtailed.

33.   But relations have remained chilly.

34.   But relations remained so strained that Arafat and Barak asked international mediators, including Annan and British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, to carry messages back and forth.

35.   But the two countries have not signed a peace treaty and relations remain uneasy.

36.   But the two countries never signed a peace treaty and relations remain tense.

37.   But relations have remained tense, and much economic activity in the country has been interrupted.

38.   But relations remain testy.

39.   But some relations remain strained.

40.   But the two countries have not signed a treaty and relations remain uneasy.