I. Agenda
Annex III
Meeting of Experts on National Minorities
1. Formal opening of the Meeting.
Address by a representative of the host country.
2. Opening statements by representatives of the participating States.
3. Contribution by the Council of Europe.
4. Thorough discussion on the issue of national minorities and of the rights of persons belonging to them, with due attention to the diversity of situations and to the legal, historical, political and economic backgrounds:
(a) exchange of views on practical experience, in particular on national legislation, democratic
institutions, international instruments and other possible forms of co-operation;
(b) review of the implementation of the relevant CSCE commitments and consideration of the
scope for the improvement of relevant standards;
(c) consideration of new measures aimed at improving the implementation of the aforementioned
commitments.
5. Closing statements by representatives of the participating States and summing up.
6. Formal closure of the Meeting.
II. Timetable and other Organizational Modalities
1. The Meeting will open on Monday, 1 July 1991, at 3 p.m., in Geneva. It will close on Friday, 19 July 1991.
2. The meetings of the Plenary will be open. The meetings of the Subsidiary Working Bodies will be closed.
3. Agenda items 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 will be dealt with in the Plenary.
4. Agenda item 4 will be dealt with in three Subsidiary Working Bodies (established according to the three sub-items) in a structured and balanced way. Agenda item 4 will also be dealt with in the Plenary meetings.
5. Meetings of the Plenary and of the Subsidiary Working Bodies will be held according to the attached work programme.
6. Opening statements by representatives of the participating States should, as a rule, not exceed 15 minutes per delegation, and will be held in the following order: Yugoslavia, Iceland, Hungary, Bulgaria, San Marino, Cyprus, United Kingdom, United States of America, Malta, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, Holy See, Ireland, Poland, Sweden, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, Germany, Canada, Monaco, Luxembourg, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, France, Finland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Denmark.
7. Participants are encouraged to circulate written contributions on the subjects for consideration in one or more of the working languages of the CSCE prior to the Meeting through the Executive Secretary to all other participating States in order to allow a thorough preparation of the relevant discussions.
8. The Council of Ministers will take into account the summing up carried out under Agenda item 5.
9. At the opening and closing Plenary meetings, the Chair will be taken by a representative of the host country. After the opening meeting, the Chair will be taken in daily rotation, in French alphabetical order of the participating States, starting with a representative of Ireland.
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