The Democratic Party's Platform Committee meets at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center this Saturday to approve the traditional statement of party principles that will be voted on at the presidential nominating convention in Denver.

The 186-member committee will meet at 9:30 for a session that is open to the public. The panel will review and is expected to approve the work of platform writers who met last weekend in Cleveland in preparation for the Aug. 25-28 convention. While there have been noteworthy platform battles at some past conventions, such as in 1948 when elements of the party were bitterly split over a civil rights plank, there have been relatively few policy divisions among Democrats this year.

The Democratic primary battle, dominated by debates on biography and leadership qualities, produced few confrontations on issues. Perhaps the most significant divide was on health care. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards promoted plans that promised wider coverage tied to a mandate for adults to obtain health insurance.

While endorsing the goal of universal coverage, and calling for mandatory coverage for children, Sen. Barack Obama in his otherwise similar health proposals did not include a mandate for adults. He argued that the best way to make progress toward universal coverage was through measures to make health care more affordable.

The platform committee includes supporters of Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Edwards but it is likely that the final draft would contain language smoothing over such differences.

Democratic activists unaffiliated with the DNC panel hope to use its meeting to focus attention on one controversial issue -- an effort to halt deployments of National Guard members to Iraq. State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, will join the anti-war protesters and discuss his support for legislation that would weaken federal control of the state's Guard detachments. The legislation, similar to measures proposed in a variety of other states, would limit the use of the Guard to service within Pennsylvania unless there is federal legislative action such as a declaration of war.

Republican Party officials plan on producing a platform in St. Paul, Minn., in the week before its convention there, which opens on Sept. 1.