11.   He warned Monday that the standoff may drag on.

12.   In Thailand, The Nation newspaper warned in an editorial that security in the region could suffer if the standoff drags on.

13.   It was the second straight day he had prepared Americans for the possibility that the standoff could drag on.

14.   It was the second straight day Bush has prepared Americans for the possibility that the standoff could drag on.

15.   The longer the standoff drags on, the worse the economic consequences, warned Ganem of the World Bank.