The commission earlier blocked a Protestant parade through a Roman Catholic neighborhood in Portadown.

For example, financial disclosure is really not disclosure, Mr. Giuliani said, since a legislative commission can block the release of any data.

But they maintain that the commission should block a change that threatens the characteristics that made a landmark a landmark.

Last weekend, both companies held a marathon of conference calls to consider withdrawing their proposal before the commission formally blocks it.

Unlike American agencies, the commission can block deals without going to court.

If the commission had blocked the deal purely on the basis of conglomerate effects arguments, the court would have overturned the commission's veto, he said.

The commission blocked the deal, valued at $45 billion at the time, because it believed it would harm competition in the market for aircraft parts.

At the same time, developers have contended that the commission blocked new construction.

Lawyers in Brussels suggested that the commission would probably not block the deal.

The commission, the European Union's executive agency, can block state handouts if it decides the aid hurts the earnings of other companies in the 15-nation group.