PC-X/17

Preparatory Commission for the	PC-X/17
Organisation for the Prohibition	6 April 1995
of Chemical Weapons	Original: ENGLISH

Tenth Session

(3 - 7 April 1995)

CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE

REPORT ON THE

CREDENTIALS OF REPRESENTATIVES OF MEMBER STATES

1. The Credentials Committee, established by the Preparatory Commission for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at its First Session (PREPCOM/I/4, paragraph 24), held its twelfth meeting on 6 April 1995. Chile, Ghana, Italy, Nepal and Slovak Republic continued to serve as Members of the Committee, in accordance with Rule 4.2 of the Rules of Procedure of the Preparatory Commission.

2. The Committee elected Mr. Gerardo Girardo Crocini of Italy as its Chairman, replacing Professor Natalino Ronzitti of Italy who chaired the Committee for the first nine sessions of the Commission.

Credentials received during the current intersessional period

3. The Committee had before it the Note by the Executive Secretary concerning the Credentials of Representatives of Member States (PC-X/16).

4. According to that Note, as of 6 April 1995:

(a) Original, formal credentials concerning the appointment of Representatives or the replacement of Representatives, in conformity with Rule 3 of the Rules of Procedure, have been received by the Executive Secretary since the end of the Ninth Session of the Commission from five Member States: Bahamas, Bahrain, China, Swaziland and Venezuela.

(b) Copies of new formal credentials or other official communications concerning the appointment of Representatives or the replacement of Representatives have been received by the Executive Secretary since the end of the Ninth Session from twenty-seven Member States: Albania, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Holy See, Lesotho, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Togo. Submission of original, formal credentials, in accordance with Rule 3 of the Rules of Procedure, is pending in these cases.

5. Lastly, with respect to the designation of acting Representatives, Member States are reminded of Rule 2.2 of the Rules of Procedure, whereby an accredited Representative may designate an alternate or adviser to act as Representative. The Executive Secretary has indicated that a review of the communications received by the Secretariat from Member States concerning their participation at the Tenth Session revealed that this Rule is not being followed in many of the instances when an accredited Representative has been unable to attend.

Summary

6. As of the date of this Report, eighty Member States have submitted original, formal credentials which have remained valid for their Representative or for the replacement of their Representative, to the Executive Secretary in the period from the First to the Tenth Session. It is important to note that original, formal credentials issued either by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or by other authority responsible for foreign affairs remain valid unless they are withdrawn or replaced in accordance with Rule 3.2 of the Rules of Procedure. The eighty Member States that have issued valid credentials for their Representatives are: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Senegal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yemen.

7. At the Tenth Session, copies of formal credentials or other official communications concerning Representatives have been received by the Executive Secretary from twenty-seven Member States: Albania, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Holy See, Lesotho, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Togo. In accordance with Rule 5 of the Rules of Procedure, the Representatives of these Member States are participating provisionally in the Commission pending submission of original, formal credentials in conformity with Rule 3 of the Rules of Procedure.

8. The Committee noted the problem the Secretariat has been encountering with the delayed receipt of credentials and other official communications concerning the appointment or replacement of Representatives. The Committee recommends to the Commission that it encourage Member States to submit the required documents not less than one week before the date fixed for the opening of the Session.

9. The Committee unanimously adopted its Report to the Commission.

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