1.   Besides religious differences, the former Yugoslavia had six republics including Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro.

2.   Cowen said that people could not make a judgment about having a republic until knowing the whole proposal as it would involve replacing a monarch with a president.

3.   Even if it was legally possible, which it is not both by Yugoslav and Serbian as well as international laws, Albanians already have a republic.

4.   Russian officials insist they have the republic almost under control and have launched efforts to rebuild its shattered infrastructure and encourage refugees to return home.

5.   Russian officials insist they have the republic almost under control, but militants continue to inflict daily casualties in hit-and-run attacks on the Russian army and with land mines.

6.   Russian officials insist they have the republic almost under control and have launched efforts to rebuild its shattered infrastructure, but the continued violence has hampered the work.

7.   But elections in Chechnya could only be held once all Russian troops have the republic, Udugov said.