The defeat came after lawmakers had tried to patch together a fragile compromise among consumer and business groups, including tacit acceptance from the cable television industry.

"Only a fragile compromise has been reached between the Government and the deputies' corps," he said.

Only two weeks ago, the parties negotiated a fragile compromise to create a government that would, largely, support Mr. Yushchenko's policies.

The United States Supreme Court's order, itself the product of a fragile compromise, was opaque and open to more than one interpretation.

But it is also an indispensable element of the fragile bipartisan compromise that the bill embodies.

Everyone agrees that the current setup in Austin is a fragile compromise.

A fragile compromise has been tabled, in respect of which I have tabled a better worded amendment.

I find it very depressing that this 'fragile compromise', as it was described, was the best anyone could come up with.

When something does come out of the Council, it seems to be fragile compromises which may be different again tomorrow and which are not really shared.

The very fragile compromise reached between Milosevic and Yeltsin does not consider the most important point: the withdrawal of the special forces.