Earlier, he was an advisor for political and military issues to Christopher R. Hill, US ambassador in Iraq.

"It's the deal of the century," said Christopher R. Hill, the American ambassador to Poland, echoing Polish officials.

Christopher R. Hill, the chief American envoy, would not discuss any specifics about the dispute but said negotiations had largely boiled down to one issue.

"Today I think we went into a new phase," the United States' chief negotiator, Christopher R. Hill, told reporters.

But Ms. Rice and her envoy on the matter, Christopher R. Hill, have defended it as a major diplomatic achievement.

The chief American official in charge of the talks, Christopher R. Hill, was also cautious.

Mr. Petritsch worked for months with an American envoy, Christopher R. Hill, to draft the plan.

Christopher R. Hill, the top American envoy, cautioned that composing even a broad statement of principles would be time-consuming.

The administration's final choice for the ambassadorship was Christopher R. Hill.

On Sunday morning, the chief American negotiator, Christopher R. Hill, left his hotel for the final meeting with the other delegations.