TNAG-2321-FCO40-3365-Human-rights-in-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 21

D. Follow-up Meetings

Follow-up meetings of the participating States will be held as a rule every two years. Their duration will not exceed three months, unless otherwise agreed.

E. The CSCE Secretariat

1.

The Secretariat will:

-- provide administrative support to the meetings of the Council and of the Committee of Senior

Officials;

-maintain an archive of CSCE documentation and circulate documents as requested by the

participating States;

provide information in the public domain regarding the CSCE to individuals, NGOs, international organizations and non-participating States;

provide support as appropriate to the Executive Secretaries of CSCE summit meetings, follow-up meetings and inter-sessional meetings.

2. The Secretariat will carry out other tasks assigned to it by the Council or the Committee of Senior Officials.

3. In order to carry out the tasks specified above, the Secretariat will consist of the following staff:

-a Director, responsible to the Council through the Committee of Senior Officials;

three Officers who will be in charge of organization of meetings (including protocol and security), documentation and information, financial and administrative matters. In addition to these functions, the Director may assign other duties within the framework of the tasks of the Secretariat;

administrative and technical personnel, recruited by the Director.

F. The Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC)

1. The Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) will assist the Council in reducing the risk of conflict. The Centre's functions and structure are described below.

2. During its initial stage of operations the Centre's role will consist in giving support to the implementation of CSBMs such as:

-mechanism for consultation and co-operation as regards unusual military activities;

- annual exchange of military information;

- communications network;

annual implementation assessment meetings;

· co-operation as regards hazardous incidents of a military nature.

3. The Centre might assume other functions and the above tasks are without prejudice to any additional tasks concerning a procedure for the conciliation of disputes as well as broader tasks relating to dispute settlement, which may be assigned to it in the future by the Council of the Foreign Ministers.

Consultative Committee

4. The Consultative Committee, composed of representatives from all participating States, will be responsible to the Council. As a rule, these representatives will be the Heads of Delegation to the CSBM negotiations until the Helsinki Follow-up Meeting. The Consultative Committee will:

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- hold the meetings of the participating States which may be convened under the mechanism

on unusual military activities;

-hold the annual implementation assessment meetings;

prepare seminars on military doctrine and such other seminars as may be agreed by the participating States;

-supervise the Secretariat of the Centre;

-provide the forum for discussion and clarification, as necessary, of information exchanged

under agreed CSBMs;

—have overall responsibility for the communications network within the mandate of the CPC.