India said it is a piece of calumny to think of national committees as an extension of government. The issue is not that governments should control local authorities but that national committees, as the common platform of all interests, should have a say. He suggested bracketing the rule. Habitat II Secretary-General Wally N'Dow appealed to India to permit the meeting to move forward unless the issue created a preponderant constitutional crisis. Participation of local authorities is fundamental to the agreed spirit of the relationship with other partners.
Partnership means giving up part of the governmental process.
If governments are the determinants of who participates in Istanbul, progress has been lost. India said he would heed the appeal, with the addition that selections be made with the concurrence of national associations of local authorities. France and Finland suggested adding that local authorities should be selected with balanced representation. Every effort shall be made to make the representation of local authorities balanced in terms of region, size and type of local authorities. Paragraphs in the Organization of Work and Rules of Procedure covering officers and committees were dealt with together.