But he described the decision as an important step toward rebuilding the nation's battered economy.

But business executives and other experts said today that it would bring little immediate relief to Iraq's battered economy.

Certainly, the state's battered economy contributed to her position, she said.

It was a sign of renewed confidence in the region's battered economy and an effort to increase the bank's own business.

European credits, so critical to Nicaragua's battered economy, will dry up.

Reopening Lebanon is an essential first step to rebuilding its battered economy.

That could eventually have a crippling effect on Yugoslavia's efforts to reform its battered economy.

And in a battered economy, keeping land open instead of developing it to increase the tax base is not always popular with local governments.

The battered Mexican economy has slipped from slow growth into a formal recession.

But even if the game has changed, the backdrop and the issues - especially the state's battered economy - have not.