- 3
China. Thus, the Commission "agreed that Article I of the Agreement should be amended to include China in the definition for the Region and requested the Director-General of FAO to take necessary steps to amend the Agreement
accordingly".
8.
A draft amendment was submitted by the Director-General to the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) for review. The CCLM concluded that the proposed draft amendment "was consistent with the Basic Texts and that it achieved the Commission's aim of bringing China within the definition of the Region" and recommended its approval by the Council.
9.
At its Eighty-fourth Session in November 1983, the FAO Council approved the proposed amendment by Resolution 1/84. A Circular State Letter inforging Member States of the amendment was circulated on 10 February
1984.
10.
The proposed amendment requires acceptance by two-thirds of the Contracting Governments. As there are now 24 Contracting Governments, the number of acceptances required is 16. However, only 7 acceptances have been received. Thus, 9 more acceptances must be deposited before China can join the Agreement.
11.
9
China has been participating in the work of the Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission in an observer capacity since 1983.
12.
China has demonstrated a continuing and serious interest in the work of the Commission for a number of years. It is keen to join with the other Member Nations of the Region in promoting and ensuring plant protection.
13.
The matter was brought to the attention of the Twenty-fifth Session of the FAO Conference in November 1989. On that occasion, The Conference "urged that Member Nations concerned accept the amendments to paragraph (a), Article 1 of the Plant Protection Agreement for the Asia and Pacific region, relating to the definition of the region, approved by the Council in November 1983, in order to bring these amendments into force as soon as
possible.
11
5 Report of the Thirteenth Session of the Asia and Pacific Plant
Protection Commission, 18-23 April 1983, paragraphs 196 to 199.
6
7
CL 84/REP, paragraph 120. (Report of the Eighty-fourth Session of the FAO Council).
CL 84/REP, paragraph 122 and Appendix F; it should be noted that in the same Resolution the Council approved other amendments to the Agreement which are on a quite different subject and not connected to the amendment concerning the membership of China.
8
Attached hereto as Appendix A.
9
10
Appendix B hereto.
C 89/REP, para. 276 (Report of the Twenty-fifth Session of the FAO Conference).