TNAG-1242-FCO40-1555-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 119

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INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION

CONVENTION

PREAMBLE

While fully recognizing the sovereign right of each country to regulate its telecommunication, the plenipotentiaries of the Contracting Governments, with the object of facilitating relations and co-operation between the peoples by means of efficient telecommunication services, have agreed to conclude the following Convention.

The countries and groups of territories which become parties to the present Convention constitute the International Telecommunication Union.

CHAPTER I

Composition, Purposes and Structure of the Union

ARTICLE 1

Composition of the Union

3 1. The International Telecommunication Union shall comprise

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Members and Associate Members.

2. A Member of the Union shall be:

(a) any country or group of territories listed in Annex 1 upon signature and ratification of, or accession to, this Convention by it or on its behalf;

(b) any country, not listed in Annex 1, which becomes a Member of the United Nations and which accedes to this Convention in accordance with Article 19;

(c) any sovereign country, not listed in Annex 1 and not a Member of the United Nations, which applies for Membership of the Union and which, after having secured approval of such application by two-thirds of the Members of the Union, accedes to this Convention in accordance with Article 19.

7 3. An Associate Member of the Union shall be:

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(a) any country which has not become a Member of the Union in accordance with 4 to 6, by acceding to this Convention in accordance with Article 19, after its application for Associate Membership has received approval by a majority of the Members of the Union;

(b) any territory or group of territories not fully responsible for the conduct of its international relations, on behalf of which a Member of the Union has signed and ratified or has acceded to

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