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ENB:11:33 [Next] . [Previous] . [Contents]

IN THE CORRIDORS

Observers note that staff from the DPCSD in New York have been working closely with the Habitat Secretariat in preparing drafts for the Chair of Working Group I. The initiative achieved a breakthrough Monday when a text on capacity building was approved, for the most part, without amendments. Chair Kakakhel prompted the advance suggesting that he might vacate the chair and leave Istanbul without an agreed document. While some delegates said they were keeping an open mind about the Chair’s draft on Commitments, it is expected that a number of politically sensitive issues will demand more time. An observer explained that the compilation of ideas on Commitments, including the issue of occupied territories, has been conducted without the advantage of gauging the political temperature surrounding certain issues.