The group has historically not involved themselves with politics.

"We have always felt the best way to achieve any kind of safety goal is to unify all the groups involved," she said.

The second group of studies involves patients with various malignancies.

The working groups would involve only technical experts from Iraq's six neighbors.

"But I thought it might be interesting to get the other groups involved."

These regional groups are involving all sea users; commercial, recreational and scientific.

But people who know the groups involved say that hasn't happened.

Officials conceded that the second and third groups involved a more subjective evaluation than the first.

The largest group, about 62 percent of the couples, involves no conversion either way.

Finally, the third group involved amendments to the directive's annexes.