31.   Hashimoto told Ramos that it is important that all Southeast Asian countries strengthen their cooperation, said a Foreign Ministry official, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity.

32.   He also said he wants to strengthen cooperation with China, and said aid to that country should not be changed in light of human rights abuses.

33.   He said the two sides also need to strengthen cooperation on political issues and urged European investors to increase their investments in Japan.

34.   He noted that Asean will become stronger if cooperation among its members are strengthened in tackling the multi facets of problems faced by the region.

35.   Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn arrived Wednesday for a three-day visit that officials said will focus on strengthening economic cooperation with South Korea.

36.   In addition, Madrid and Rabat agreed to strengthen their cooperation in fighting organized crime, terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

37.   In his speech, Dr Mahathir said companies need to strengthen cooperation and forge close relations with government research institutions to make full use of the research findings.

38.   In Zagreb, Bosnian and Croatian leaders met to strengthen military cooperation between Muslims and Croats in Bosnia.

39.   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefs King Hussein about U.S. efforts to restart Mideast peace talks by convincing the Palestinians to strengthen security cooperation with Israel.

40.   Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said on a visit to Qatar on Wednesday that the two countries have agreed to strengthen cooperation.