"It's my first time meeting her in-person, " he explains, extending a hand to bring her up on stage.

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The Bush administration itself was increasingly extending a hand--for example by hosting Syria, among others, at 2007 talks in Annapolis.

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Every day Jordanians are extending a hand of support to neighbors far from home, but this is a heavy burden.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Holds a Press Conference with King Abdullah II of Jordan | The White House

But Emanuel is extending a hand, not a fist.

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Instead of extending a hand to Italy, Spain and Portugal, Ms. Merkel rapped them on the knuckles, delivering a stern lecture on the need for more austerity among prodigal members of the European Union.

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At a news conference with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Jordan's foreign minister, Abdul-Ilah Khatib, said he and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit were "extending a hand of peace" on behalf of the region and expressed hope that the gesture would "create the momentum needed to resume fruitful and productive negotiations" between Israel and the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world.

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More important, Tokyo is playing the role of good global citizen by using its bulging reserves to buy American, European, and Asian bonds, thereby extending a helping hand.

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"Hi, " I said extending my hand, whereupon Jerry Lee withdrew his like a snake'd bit it.

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On the other hand, extending benefits to widowers could cost several hundred million pounds a year.

ECONOMIST: Social security