But a series of recent proposals by Malaysian businessmen has failed to break the impasse.

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The 15-country Southern African Development Community (SADC), which has been trying to break the impasse, does not carry much weight with either side.

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In any event, whatever Mr Obama's relations with a new Congress, his American mediators are still casting around for ways to break the impasse.

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Your Majesty, last year Jordan managed to break the impasse in the peace process by hosting the Amman talks, bringing Israelis and Palestinians together at the negotiating table.

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Joseph Dunford, failed to break the impasse.

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In theory, Mo Mowlam, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, has the power to break the immediate impasse.

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Germany has played a leading role in trying to break the diplomatic impasse over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is aimed at generating civilian power but Western nations suspect is to develop nuclear weapons.

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Mr Clinton also used the device of direct American involvement to break an impasse over Mr Netanyahu's demand that the Palestine National Council, the unwieldy parliament-in-exile, should formally revoke clauses in the 1964 Palestine National Covenant that call for Israel's destruction.

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The two sides had been working for several days to break an impasse and avoid a threatened contempt-of-Congress vote in the committee.

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The meeting in Harare failed to break this impasse, said Tomas Salomao, executive secretary of SADC.

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