United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), the national anti-war coalition, on Monday blamed New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city's Police Commissioner Ray Kelly for breaking off negotiations for a permit for a protest rally the day before the Republican National Convention (RNC) begins.

The UFPJ has been planning an Aug. 29 march past Madison SquareGarden, site of the RNC, and a rally in Central Park, the traditional location of very large events.

However, Bloomberg has so far refused to allow the rally in Central Park, insisting that the rally be held on a stretch of theWest Side Highway. Negotiations have been ongoing for months but last week Kelly delivered an ultimatum via the press, demanding that the UFPJ agree to the West Side Highway rally site.

The UFPJ insisted that several key issues must be discussed andresolved with the city's police department before the location could be acceptable. These include restraint from using metal barricades to restrict movement during the rally and the additional expense incurred from the change in location.

The police department broke off negotiations with the UFPJ, rejecting a request for a meeting on Tuesday. It has also refused to talk unless and until the UFPJ unconditionally accepts the WestSide Highway site.

"Michael Bloomberg and Ray Kelly are asking us, in effect, to sign a blank contract," said UFPJ National Coordinator Leslie Cagan. "By delivering ultimatums through the press and refusing tomeet with us, they are acting in bad faith."

The UFPJ is a national coalition with more than 800 groups under its umbrella. Since its founding in October 2002, the group has sponsored hundreds of protests and rallies around the country and throughout the world, including the two largest demonstrationsagainst the Iraq war.