11.   Muslims and Croats on Monday began the slow process of binding themselves in a customs union and removing checkpoints to make their on-again, off-again federation come alive.

12.   On Thursday morning, troops removed checkpoints that had ringed Nablus.

13.   Russian troops largely ignored a deadline to remove their checkpoints.

14.   The checkpoint was removed after U.N. police protested.

15.   The government last month removed police checkpoints near rebel controlled villages after Western monitors and ethnic Albanian politicians asked them to do so in a confidence building measure.

16.   The peace accord had long been violated by sporadic clashes, and Russian troops largely ignored a deadline to remove their checkpoints.

17.   The Russian military command, in turn, blamed separatists attacks for their reluctance to remove checkpoints, as called for in the peace pact.

18.   When Tikhomirov issued his ultimatum, the cease-fire accord already was falling apart because Russian troops were largely ignoring a deadline to remove their checkpoints.

19.   When Tikhomirov issued his ultimatum, the accord already seemed in tatters because Russian troops were largely ignoring a deadline to remove their checkpoints in the shattered republic.

20.   When Tikhomirov issued his ultimatum, the accord already was falling apart because Russian troops were largely ignoring a deadline to remove their checkpoints.