From Hot Air to Holy Days, Earth Summit ‘Difficulties’ : Conference: Ticklish issues face the Brazilian official in charge of logistics. He juggles concerns for ecology, diplomacy and luxury.

First came the dilemma about air conditioning. Would having artificially cooled air offend delegates to the environmental summit here?

The table for the heads of state produced another headache. Specifically, how do you build one large enough to seat 119 world leaders?

For Flavio Perri, a Brazilian official in charge of summit logistics, organizing the huge conference without offending environmental principles or diplomatic protocol has posed what he refers to as “my difficulties.”

The prospect of delegates passing out in hot, stuffy conference rooms finally settled the debate about air conditioning, a process that uses but doesn’t necessarily release chemicals that deplete the planet’s protective ozone layer.

“After all, good sense prevailed,” said Perri, 51, a diplomat who hopes one day to be promoted to ambassador.

The massive table too is almost ready, though last-minute adjustments are being made for heads of state who decided to attend at the last minute.

Fortunately for Perri, the table is round and leaders will sit in alphabetical order, not according to rank. Rather than tussle with the touchy question of who will take Austria’s seat (both its prime minister and president will be here), Perri has wisely decided to make the Austrians choose.

Perri said his “biggest difficulty” occurred just weeks before the global conference was to begin. It was then that the sponsoring United Nations discovered it would overlap with Muslim holy days. The start was hastily postponed from Monday to Wednesday.

To meet environmental concerns, Perri had to scurry up 40,000 paper cups--plastic foam is frowned on in many environmental circles--and order tons of recycled paper for U.N. documents. He even arranged for separate garbage cans for glass, paper and aluminum so the trash could be recycled.

“It is only a gesture to enrich the idea of environmental concern,” said the diplomat, whose black hair is combed straight back from his forehead and whose eyes are framed by stylish tortoise-shell glasses.

Planning the conference to reflect environmental goals proved far easier than obtaining luxury hotel rooms for the heads of state, who are gathering here in unprecedented numbers.

Rio has only 11 five-star and 22 four-star hotels, and rooms were available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“They weren’t all happy with the accommodations . . .” he said. “I try to explain to them that this is a relaxed city, and hotels are just places to stay for a while, not places to have luxury. But of course, they all want the best.”

The arrangements at the conference center also have prompted some grumbling. Telephones that the news media can obtain only with a $2,000 deposit are unable to transmit computer stories, possibly because of faulty lines.

An aide to Brazil’s chief tourism official, waiting in a long, snaking line leading to metal detectors at the summit hall entrance, complained bitterly that her boss could not get accreditation for his car to enter the heavily secured compound.

Even the air conditioning caused problems. One American official lamented it simply was inadequate.

But Perri is taking the grousing in stride, asserting “no problems” so far. A cellular telephone constantly at his ear, he fielded calls one evening from throughout the rambling center about logistics for the following day.

After barking at one caller in Portuguese, he explained he had been asked to clear a conference room of tables and electronic equipment for the signing of a treaty on Thursday to curb future global warming.

“How could we take everything out--tables and all the electronics--to sign the agreement?” he fumed, indignant. “It’s tomorrow at 11 in the morning. I told them we would provide flowers or banners, whatever they want, but we can not empty the room.”

The telephone rang again. After a few minutes of polite conversation, he stood up, put on his jacket and, without a word, headed to the door of his small office. The trouble-shooter was needed elsewhere.