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IN THE CORRIDORS

Some participants expressed surprise at the recent proposal for an Istanbul Declaration. They commented that a Declaration at this point in the negotiations would not set the tone but rather follow the lead of the text, as did the Beijing Declaration. Some have suggested that a summary of the Habitat Agenda would be useful, particularly for conveying the message of Habitat II to the public. Others argue that a Declaration is not the way to convey the message. They say the Principles section of the Habitat Agenda contains the type of language typical of a Declaration, so that in some ways, a Declaration already exists. A few proposals are being circulated. They are reported to be compatible, and negotiations are expected to be conducted informally, given the limited translation time budgeted for the Conference.