Among Israel's supporters in Congress there was some talk about pressing the administration to suspend contacts with the Palestinian Authority.
China's decision to suspend contacts at the ministerial level and above came after a Japanese court approved a request by prosecutors to hold Zhan until 28 September, when they must either indict or release him.
Now the Americans announced that they would suspend contacts with the FARC until, improbably, it handed over the culprits to the Colombian authorities.So far, so bad, for the cause of peace.
A memorandum dated April 30 and signed by Chris Williams, a senior adviser to Mr. Rumsfeld for policy matters, directed the United States armed forces to suspend contacts between their civilian and military officials and their Chinese counterparts "until further notice," according to an official who read it.
The argument over whether Mr. Bush had misspoken or was signaling a new tilt toward Taiwan had just died down when the memorandum, dated April 30 and signed by Chris Williams, a senior adviser to Mr. Rumsfeld for policy matters, directed the United States armed forces to suspend contacts between their own civilian and military officials and their Chinese counterparts "until further notice".
It added that "the I.R.A. therefore, has suspended contact" with the arms inspectors.
Pressure has been building on the Tate since it suspended contact with one of its biggest donors, Anthony d'Offay.
But on August 7th an exasperated Mr Pastrana said that he was "suspending" contact with the ELN.
But last Tuesday, two days before the Jerusalem shooting, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was forced to step in and prop up the shaky talks after Abbas suspended contact in the wake of Israeli's military operation in Gaza.
China's state broadcaster CCTV said yesterday that Beijing had suspended contacts, including talks on increasing flights, and postponed a meeting on coal.
