U.S. DECLINES COMMENT ON SCHLUMBERGER&lt;SLB> MOVE

  A U.S. Commerce Department spokesman
  said the agency would have no comment on Schlumberger Ltd's
  announcement that it had terminated an agreement in principle
  to sell its Fairchild Semiconductor Corp unit to Fujitsu Ltd.
      Sclumberger had said that controversy surrounding the
  venture made it unlikely the sale could be completed any time
  soon. The sale was opposed by Commerce and the U.S. Defense
  Department, in part on national security grounds.
      Commerce chief spokesman B.J. Cooper said the department
  had had no contact with Schlumberger about the deal.
      A Defense Department spokesman said the agency was unaware
  of Schlumberger's announcement and would have no immediate
  reaction.
      Officials last week told Reuters that Commerce Secretary
  Malcolm Baldrige and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger had
  joined forces to fight the planned sale because it could have
  left the U.S. military overly dependent on foreign sources for
  vital equipment used in high-technology weapons.
      Administration opposition to the deal also stemmed from
  ongoing trade tensions between the United States and Japan,
  officials said.
  

