1. Legal writers often cite unratified treaties and reports of international agencies, such as those of the International Law Commission, as indi cating a trend toward general consent.

2. Either of these options, however, could take a long time, leaving the treaty vulnerable to a British referendum if the Conservatives gain power with Lisbon still unratified.

3. Nonetheless, Carter's successor, President Ronald Reagan, continued to abide by the unratified SALT II pledges.

4. For years, Microsoft was loathe to adopt support for unratified standards, considering them a moving target and thus a waste of time.

5. Or are his demands deliberately maximalist so that they cannot be met and the treaty remains unratified?