"We have a longstanding request with the Chinese to get access to the border," he continued.

But a longstanding request is on the table, they said.

This week, the same newsletter reported that several longstanding Saudi requests to buy arms worth up to $8 billion are now being considered urgently by the Pentagon.

There are a number of longstanding requests, he said, including one from the Iroquois of New York.

At the moment, there is virtually no public access to the archive, except by scholars with longstanding requests.

The ruling is remarkable in that it grants a longstanding request of a major American rival of Japanese chip makers.

Mexico further promised to act on a longstanding American request to build radar stations in southern Mexico to track suspected drug flights.

In October 2004 it began receiving international flights, in response to a longstanding request from tour operators in the region.

The president repeated his longstanding request for more money for school construction and modernization.

Because of staffing shortages, Mr. King said, the archive is rarely open and then only to those with longstanding requests.