The union is no team of angels; it can be a stubborn, frustrating negotiating partner.
The authority of Mr. Abbas, Mr. Olmert's negotiating partner, is confined to the West Bank.
Mr. Bush has encouraged China to take on the role of both intermediary and negotiating partner.
They view Iran as a uniquely difficult negotiating partner, willing to break or rewrite any agreement.
Indifference to the refugees' plight, he added, was shared by Israel's negotiating partner in the Oslo years – Yasser Arafat.
Tradeoffs allow you and your negotiating partner to achieve more than you would if you merely compromised on each issue.
But when you are dealing with a negotiating partner who seems irreplaceable, your BATNA can seem hopelessly weak.
It is a strange charge that has puzzled international legal experts — and her negotiating partner, Vladimir Putin.
"You need a serious negotiating partner to have a negotiation," added Batterman, a former lawyer for the N.H.L.
No successful negotiation begins with insults of your negotiating partner, especially one as sensitive about his persona as Putin.
It is the negotiating partner.
