Habitat adopts documents

ISTANBUL - Delegates to the UN summit on cities adopted the basic conference documents early this morning after last minute objections…

ISTANBUL - Delegates to the UN summit on cities adopted the basic conference documents early this morning after last minute objections by the United States were overcome.

The closing plenary session of the UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) adopted the Habitat Agenda and a shorter summary of political intent, the Istanbul Declaration.

Late yesterday, as delegates appeared to have reached consensus following days of wrangling over a variety of issues, the US objected to paragraphs which were understood to refer to illegal settlement of the Israeli occupied territories. They also included a reference to "coercive economic measures" considered to refer to the US trade embargo against Cuba.