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PRE-CONFERENCE CONSULTATIONS

Pre-Conference consultations were held Sunday, 24 April 1994, to reach agreement on several procedural and organizational matters. The recommendations will be transmitted to the first session of the Plenary, Amb. Besley Maycock, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the UN, was elected Chair of the consultations. The decisions taken were based on document A/CONF.167/3, "Organization of Work, including Establishment of the Main Committee of the Conference." The provisional rules of procedure, as contained in document A/CONF.167/2, were adopted. Costa Rica, on behalf of the Latin American and the Caribbean Group, nominated the Prime Minister of Barbados, L. Erskine Sandiford, as the President of the Conference and Branford Taitt, the Barbados Minister of Foreign Affairs, as the ex officio Vice-President. Maycock announced that the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) had proposed New Zealand and Germany and the Asian Group proposed Samoa and China as Vice-Presidents. Nominations to complete the Bureau were postponed until Monday to allow the African and Eastern European regional groups to select their candidates.

The provisional agenda, as set out in document A/CONF.167/1, was approved. The proposals contained in document A/CONF.167/3 regarding the division of agenda items between the Plenary and the Main Committee, time limits for general debate, the establishment of the Main Committee of the Conference, the timetable for work, the organization of meetings, the High-Level Segment, the Credentials Committee, and procedures for the preparation of the report of the Conference, were adopted for recommendation to the Conference. The Chair announced that all efforts will be made to accommodate delegations who are not represented at the Head of State or ministerial level to participate in the High-Level Segment. The Chair adjourned the meeting so that delegates could "go to the beach."

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