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<P11>REGIONAL PARTICIPATION<P255>

Many delegates agreed that one of the major achievements of this meeting was the way in which developing countries, in particular the African Group, came together to consolidate their positions into a coherent proposal reflecting the interests that are more specific to their region. In contrast, many noted the apparent lack of EU coordination. One observer commented that the EU’s request for an expanded “Friends of the Chair” was based on a desire for some European countries to represent themselves directly as internal differences continued to persist within the region.

Another positive aspect of this meeting was near-universal country participation. For instance, the Secretariat explained that at the first extraordinary session of the Commission, there were more members on the US delegation than representatives of all the African countries combined. Several participants noted that this enhanced participation was a reflection of the momentum of Leipzig, COP-3 and the World Food Summit.