Lord Runciman continued his work, attempting to pressure the Czechoslovak government into concessions.
Israelis also have every right to worry about being drawn into a negotiating process that could bulldoze them into risky concessions.
Mayor Giuliani, who has successfully muscled other unions into major concessions, now aims to break the drivers' hold on the board.
The express goal of this ultimatum is not to stop trade but to push Beijing into timely concessions.
Some diplomats here have predicted that the economy will crash as early as next month, forcing the army into new concessions.
Instead, he delayed the final agreement to pressure legislative leaders into concessions on nonbudget matters.
Israel has so far rejected the idea because of fears the conference would amount to an international forum to force it into territorial concessions.
Some political observers believe the Mayor has been weakened by the city scandals and may be forced into concessions he would not have made three years ago.
Labor leaders have said the administration has threatened layoffs as a tool to intimidate them into concessions.
The senior policy makers know the depth of those problems and are said to hope that standing pat will force Moscow into further unilateral concessions.