1.   Co-operation over defence matters and intelligence had to take place underground and be buried in the maximum secrecy.

2.   His comments follow subsequently withdrawn threats by the government to jail journalists who publish leaked information about intelligence or defence matters.

3.   Hungary is currently a member of the Partnership for Peace, a halfway house providing for cooperation in defence matters between NATO and members of the former Soviet bloc.

4.   Israel has also begun to extend a helping hand to Jordan in defence matters.

5.   A Malaysian defence ministry spokesman said Portillo and Syed Hamid discussed bilateral relations on defence matters but details of the talks would only be revealed Thursday.

6.   Beleaguered Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday held his first summit with French President Francois Mitterrand, with defence matters due to be high on the agenda.

7.   Britain and France have developed particularly close relations in defence matters in recent months, notably over Bosnia.

8.   But it added Britain had an interest in not being isolated in European defence matters when the Eurocorps force comes into full effect.

9.   Dmitri Kholodov, who was in charge of defence matters, had written a series of articles on corruption in the defence ministry.

10.   The paper said the force could be an attempt by Britain, which is not part of the multi-national Eurocorps initiative, to avoid isolation in European defence matters.