Meanwhile, negotiations over the largest event by far _ a demonstration by anti-war group United for Peace and Justice expected to draw a quarter million people _ appear to have stalled.

City officials have encouraged organizers to apply no later than Tuesday to allow ample time to weigh their demands against concerns about terrorism, traffic and unauthorized protests during the convention, scheduled for Aug. 30 to Sept. 2. Police officials say they expect few, if any, additional applications to arrive Tuesday.

In addition to United for Peace and Justice, other anti-war groups seeking permits are Not In Our Name and Code Pink-Women for Peace. Also on the list are the Green Party, the National Council of Arab Americans and various civil rights and labor groups.

The Great Lawn in Central Park, Times Square, Union Square, the Brooklyn Bridge and Riverside Park are among the requested locations for events starting as early as Aug. 22.

Officials have not discussed how quickly other permits would be considered, or on what basis. The remaining applicants _ including some who put in for permits more than a year ago _ have received letters saying the city would wait to weigh all the requests at once before making any decisions.

The delay has jeopardized plans by the National Council of Arab Americans to stage an event for 75,000 people on the Great Lawn on Aug. 28 to protest alleged civil rights abuses against the Arab community by the Bush administration, said Elias Rahmawi, the head of the group.

"There's not enough time to plan," Rahmawi said. "There's never been a public show of our grievances _ that's why we wanted to be there. But we're being shut out."

Other proposals are less ambitious. Code Pink-Women for Peace envisions an anti-war protest for 200 people well north of the convention, in Riverside Park. A labor group concerned about the export of jobs overseas wants 1,000 demonstrators to march around Madison Square Garden a week before the Republican delegates arrive. The Green Party expects a turnout of 1,100 at a reception in a small park a few blocks south of the United Nations. And the Middle East Peace Coalition expects a mere 30 attendees at a rally in Union Square.

The parks department already has rejected a bid by United for Peace and Justice to use the Great Lawn for an anti-war rally, claiming the projected crowd of 250,000 was beyond capacity.

The group has threatened to sue if Mayor Michael Bloomberg refuses to overturn the ruling. It also has a pending application with the Police Department to march on Madison Square Garden _ a subject of sporadic negotiations.

Last week, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly made public a letter to a lawyer for the group accusing its leadership of procrastinating.

"It will simply not be possible to accommodate the (UFPJ) event unless the details of the plan are resolved promptly," Kelly wrote.

A spokesman for United For Peace and Justice, Bill Dobbs, said Kelly was "overreacting."

In what he described as a concession, Kelly disclosed that the police department would allow protesters to demonstrate directly outside the arena. One proposal by police would have the protesters march past the arena on Seventh or Eighth avenue to a rally site on a blocked-off section of the West Side Highway.

Dobbs said Monday night that UFPJ had requested a meeting with the mayor to urge him to "cut the red tape and grant the permits." With that request pending, a police meeting will be rescheduled as "the police have no authority to grant our request for the Great Lawn as a rally site," Dobbs said.

"Let there be no mistake, UFPJ is eager to negotiate a permit for a peaceful march and rally," Dobbs said in a letter to Kelly on Monday, "and we stand ready to meet with you as soon as we can resolve the outstanding issues about the rally permit."


On the Net:

New York Police Department: www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/home.html

United for Peace and Justice: www.unitedforpeace.org