17/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - It was no doubt with a great deal of goodwill that the Polish authorities prepared the third Summit of the Council of Europe. However, this goodwill visibly clashed with organisation which sometimes defied logic, with all journalists accredited for the Summit experiencing difficulties accessing the venue, room and equipment. The most surprising omission for people used to this kind of meeting, however, will have been the absence of European flags welcoming the heads of delegation. Only Poland's colours were allowed to fly above the city and outside the castle, where nothing but a Summit sign suggested the presence of the Council of Europe, and only those taking part in the meeting had access to rooms within the building where groups of the flags of the 46 Member States of the European organisation and European emblems joined forces with the Polish flag. The police presence, not surprisingly, was considerable, but less expected was the presence of guards in each room, even the press work room, a poky room which, as the Polish head of proceedings, the ambassador Jerzy Pomianovski, admitted, only seated 600 (with 130 cable connections) for over 1200 accredited journalists. Other problems included briefing rooms which were too small, with a procedure for use that was so complex that Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner chose instead to address the press standing. A final item to report in this far from exhaustive list is the prohibitive cost (65 euros) to open a telephone line, when many journalists covering the event came from the poorest countries on the European continent.