51.   Ota, a staunch opponent of the bases, has refused, forcing Hashimoto last week to sign papers overriding him.

52.   A shift by Germany, until now a staunch opponent of new rules on tobacco advertising, would add a decisive vote in favor of tighter regulation.

53.   Across the Capitol in the Senate, a staunch opponent, Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., has threatened to block the measure.

54.   All three are staunch opponents of monopolies.

55.   Arafat has been trying for a long time to reach agreement with Hamas, a staunch opponent of the Palestinian Authority, on political participation.

56.   Ben Barka, a staunch opponent of the late Moroccan King Hassan II, had been living in exile in Paris before his disappearance.

57.   Britain has been a staunch opponent of relaxing U.N. sanctions on Iraq.

58.   But its staunch opponent Syria fears that Israel with its fast-growing economy is seeking to dominate the region economically.

59.   Djukanovic is a staunch opponent of Milosevic who has allowed only those Montenegrins loyal to him to represent the smaller republic in the joint, federal bodies.

60.   Duncan Smith, an even more staunch opponent of closer ties with the continent, promised Wednesday to maintain that position.