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IN THE CORRIDORS II

By the conclusion of the afternoon"s informal drafting group meeting on the Rules of Procedure, delegates reported mixed results. While agreement was reached on Rule 12 (submission of agenda items), two other rules were re-opened. No progress was made on Rule 4 (no sessions during sacred religious holidays) or on Rule 42 (voting procedures), which affects the fate of the AOSIS draft protocol. The question is whether protocols must be adopted by a three-fourths or two-thirds majority vote, where there is no consensus. If delegates do not reach agreement, it is likely that the COP will follow the precedent of the Biodiversity Conference of the Parties, which left the voting rules in brackets when the Rules of Procedure were adopted.