31.   Robertson said it would be difficult to get a council consensus to extend the mission.

32.   Shepherd and his crew already have had their four-month mission extended two weeks because of space shuttle problems, and face yet another delay in coming home.

33.   Secretary-General Kofi Annan is recommending that the United Nations extend its mission in the Western Sahara for an additional four months, said a report released Thursday.

34.   Still, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said the mission may be extended by a few days, in comments appearing Thursday in the Financial Times.

35.   Still, But NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said the mission may be extended by a few days, in comments appearing Thursday in the Financial Times.

36.   The alliance says it has no plan to extend the mission.

37.   The council agreed to extend the mission until Tuesday to give diplomats more time to work out a compromise.

38.   The council extended the mission for three months instead of the normal six, and criticized the slow quartering process.

39.   The council is expected to vote Friday on the resolution extending the mission three months.

40.   The General Assembly agreed in July to extend the mission an extra four months, until November.