Muslim delegates said scotching Israel's bid to join Red Cross

GENEVA - An attempt to end Israel's long isolation from the Red Cross humanitarian movement hit a snag Tuesday as Muslim opponents used procedural moves to block progress at a decisive international conference, delegates said.

The International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which opened Tuesday and is expected to conclude Wednesday, is being asked to approve changes to meet Israeli demands of almost six decades that it be granted full membership without using the cross or crescent to identify itself.

But Red Cross officials hosting the conference confirmed that the meeting's validity had been challenged. They declined to identify the delegation that filed the motion because the session was being held behind closed doors.