But the Soviet Union has said it hopes that the proposal might signal the beginning of a process in which Iraq would move seriously to end the war.

The revised proposal signaled major concessions to the Council even before final budget negotiations, said Ronnie Lowenstein, chief economist of the city's Independent Budget Office, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

But consumer groups contend that the proposals signal a troublesome willingness in Congress to favor the interests of copyright holders over those of consumers in the face of new technology.

Behind the official veneer of caution, Administration officials said the North Korean proposal signaled movement on the thorny issue of inspections of nuclear facilities.

But the insurers know that bigger battles are coming after the inauguration of President-elect Bill Clinton, and their new proposal signals a willingness to work with him.

The proposal signals a shift in the bilingual education movement, which was led in the 1970's in New York City by Puerto Rican civil rights groups.

The proposal signals a new Congressional activism in military co-production agreements that are negotiated by the executive branch.

Despite this, American officials said that the latest Soviet proposal did not signal a basic change in Moscow's position to restrict President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative.

Taken together, the proposals also signaled the unwillingness of either camp to cede a political inch.

The proposal may signal a new type of Republicanism in the state.