1.   Many Republican lawmakers and some Democrats have been critical of proposals to extend the mission.

2.   Bergstralh said the potential dividend of the added spectrometer readings justified extending the mission.

3.   BRUSSELS, Belgium - NATO indicated Wednesday that it was prepared to extend its mission in Macedonia by providing soldiers to guard European observers monitoring the peace process there.

4.   Consequently, China would exercise its veto for only the fifth time and kill a resolution that would have extended the mission for another six months.

5.   If all goes well and the rovers are in good shape, the mission could be extended, he said.

6.   Meanwhile, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihaylova also urged the U.S. to extend its mission in the former Yugoslavia.

7.   NATO also extended its mission to include peacekeeping operations in areas outside its own membership, such as Bosnia.

8.   On another matter, Primakov assured the allies that Russia would continue to contribute to the NATO peacekeeping force in Bosnia if the mission is extended beyond next June.

9.   The council normally extends the mission every six months, but the standoff prevented a six-month extension Friday.