1.   Their chief negotiator turned his critical eye on the United States.

2.   The North Korean chief negotiator, Chon In-chol, said that Japan had raised an unnecessary problem in an unnecessary manner.

3.   Predictably, the plan was rejected by the chief Israeli negotiator Elyakin Rubinstein, who described it as a plan for a Palestinian state in all but name.

4.   Before concluding the fourth round, the chief negotiators of all five delegations met with US Secretary of State James Baker.

5.   The meeting followed the shock departure of Gatt chief negotiator Ray MacSharry, the EC agriculture commissioner.

6.   Although the secretary of labor has spoken to the chief negotiators in the dispute, he apparently has missed a basic element of the position of each side.

7.   Arafat followed suit close to midnight, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

8.   Barak was accompanied, among others, by his chief negotiators, Shlomo Ben-Ami, a popular Labor Party politician.

9.   A spokesman for Douglas Hall, the chief U.S. negotiator, said Hall could not comment on the negotiations.

10.   All apologies to union chief negotiator Billy Hunter and David Falk mouthpiece Patrick Ewing, but the commissioner had the clout.