The Chairman’s Text

Abstract

During the 22nd Session of the Ad Hoc Group (AHG) meeting in Geneva a number of delegations called on the Chairman to provide a complete composite text in order that a full picture of what he thought possible — given the remaining differences between States Parties — was available to the delegations. During and immediately after this February 2001 session, the Chairman provided delegations with written elements of almost all of the Protocol and continued his intensive bilateral discussions with delegations. Then, at a meeting on 29 March in Geneva on ‘Facing the challenge of disease in the 21st century’, Ambassador Tóth stated that a composite text would be available to delegations the following day.¹ This, in essence, signalled that he felt he could and should produce a composite text to bridge the remaining differences and that the negotiations of the AHG had effectively reached a conclusion.