The European Commission and Council delegations to the UN in New York City have also been merged.

The Council delegation intends to visit one of the port towns along the Congo River, Mr. Levitte said.

He added that "I have no illusions that I will be selected by this Council delegation."

The six-member Council delegation is to vote after the City Investigation Department completes its study of the candidates, probably within two weeks.

At the same time, the Commission will carry on with the CoCom (Communications Committee), the Council delegation.

Similarly, the restriction of the permitted number of participants in a national Council delegation is a reasonable option.

Many Council delegations do not approve of a reduction in Community preferences and have called for consideration of the possibility of universal application of the green rate.

It became evident that, in view of the negotiations on Agenda 2000, several Council delegations had been instructed not to make any concessions on the budget.

In the past, Council vacancies had been left to each borough's Council delegation to fill by appointment.

The special election replaced a procedure in which interim members were elected by the full Council on the recommendation of the Council delegation from the borough concerned.