Mr. Saleh gave a guarded acknowledgment of a plan from a regional bloc for a transition of power, but he did not commit to the proposal.
But Abbott failed to commit to a proposal by Cape York leader Noel Pearson for constitutional change, including a parliamentary mechanism for Indigenous scrutiny.
While the committee meeting in question, held last Wednesday, was described as convened to float ideas rather than commit to definite proposals, the briefings and counter-briefings – Treasury sources said the idea of a row was "nonsense" – hints at potentially significant tensions within the government over how to proceed.
The 2011 phone hacking scandal exposed the nature of media power and despite a year long Leveson Inquiry, many heavyweight media players have failed to commit to the proposals and the Government are yet to implement these methods.
And even so, Indiana senator Evan Bayh is refusing to commit to support the proposal.
Seven U.S.-based groups have already coalesced to urge the U.S. Export-Import Bank to publicly commit to rejecting any proposal for the financing of harmful coal projects near the Sundarbans and any other harmful fossil fuel projects in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains committed to his proposal to withdraw Israel from the Gaza Strip, though his own Likud Party overwhelmingly rejected the plan in a referendum a week ago.
The Boeing Company's chief executive, Harry C. Stonecipher, said yesterday that the $20 billion deal with the Air Force to lease 767's for use as aerial refueling tankers "is not dead" and that the Air Force remains committed to the proposal.
He would not say that the Government was still committed to the proposal and, tellingly, when told that people would interpret his silence as an acknowledgement the policy had been abandoned said: "I refer you to what the Prime Minister said in the House of Commons".
She said Dr. Frist remained committed to the proposal and would work over the recess to try to resolve the differences that prompted a Senate filibuster last week against a measure that provides billions of dollars in tax breaks to power producers.
"She's committed to this proposal and is prepared to see it through, regardless of how hot it gets," Benson said.
