31.   Lawmakers are still determined to make President-elect Joseph Estrada soften his stand against the so-called pork barrel funds.

32.   On Friday, Labor Minister Martine Aubry pressed the unions to soften their stand.

33.   One official said the West Indies, which had backed the Australian position, was softening its stand.

34.   Once ostracized for its aggressive Hindu nationalist ideology, his right-wing BJP has this time softened its stand on controversial issues to win wider support.

35.   One official who took part in a meeting Sunday said the West Indies, which had backed the Australian position, was softening its stand.

36.   Report says Netanyahu has softened stand on Syria.

37.   Ten days before a party conference on the issue, the DPP indicated Thursday it is ready to soften its stand.

38.   The Contact Group originally demanded the Serbs accept or reject the plan unchanged, but have softened that stand because of Serb opposition.

39.   The Indonesian government softened its stand on East Timor after the May ouster of authoritarian President Suharto, who had ordered the invasion of the territory.

40.   The parliament softened its stand last week when it voted to reopen a forum for talks with Turkish parliamentarians, saying that human rights in Turkey had improved.