1.   Brahimi presided over marathon talks among Afghan leaders earlier this month in Bonn, Germany.

2.   China is well known for drawing out negotiations to win incremental concessions, as it is trying to do in its marathon talks to join the World Trade Organization.

3.   He postponed until Saturday a cabinet meeting set to discuss whether Israel should begin marathon peace talks with the Palestinians.

4.   In a subsequent interview, he said he had suggested that the president summon Israeli and Palestinian negotiators immediately for marathon talks.

5.   In Washington, a rare scene of business as usual unfolded as President Clinton and congressional leaders resumed their marathon talks on a balanced budget.

6.   Israeli and Palestinian teams have been holding marathon talks this week in the northern Israeli town of Zichron Yaakov on Israeli withdrawals in the West Bank and Palestinian elections.

7.   The automaker said today negotiators have made some progress, and union officials said marathon talks are expected to continue until a settlement is reached.

8.   The long-awaited agreement came after marathon talks that included the chief executives of top Wall Street firms.

9.   After days of marathon talks with banks and key owners, Kvaerner announced that a long-term solution had been reached.

10.   After four days of marathon talks that dragged into the early morning hours Tuesday, the key players produced a draft text.