A. POSSIBLE REMEDIAL REVISIONS TO THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY-Continued

a

1. A Committee shall normally vote by a show of hands.

2. In exceptional circumstances the Chairman may
decide to hold a rollcall vote of members of the Committee
by national delegation.

3. Election shall be by secret ballot. If, after the first
ballot, no candidate for Chairman has obtained an absolute
majority of the vote cast, the candidate who, in the second
ballot, obtains the most votes, shall be elected. In the
event of a tie the issues shall be decided by lot. Vice-
Chairmen and Rapporteurs shall be elected by the same
procedure. When only one candidate is proposed, election
may take place by acclamation.

4. The decision of a Committee shall be by simple
majority subject to subparagraph 3 above.

5. A vote in committee shall not be valid unless a third
of the members of the Committee are present.

6. The right to vote is an individual one. An alternate,
authorized to sit in the place of a delegate absent or
unable to take his seat, may vote. National delegations
shall appoint the number of delegates entitled to vote,
and up to the same number of alternates, as set out in
Article 27 above and in Appendix III to these Rules of
Procedure.

7. The Chairmen of the Committeo may take part in discussions and may vote, but without having a casting vote. attending a sitting of that Committee may arrange to

8. Any member of a Committee who is prevented from

be replaced by another delegate or an alternate.
9. Alternates designated

to replace full members of
Committees shall have the same rights and obligations
in the Committee as the member himself. An alternate
may be appointed as a Rapporteur, but not as Chairman
or Vice-Chairman.

Article 33.
1. A record shall be kept, by the Committee Secretary, Revision 11: Section IX. Article 33. Paragraph 3.
of votes cast. The result of a vote on a draft recommenda- Purpose: To reflect a decision by the Assembly that
tion, resolution, opinion or order, shall be presented to the Assembly Committees shall meet in open session un-
the Drafting Committee.

less determined otherwise.
2. Minutes of proceedings shall be drawn up for each
Committee meeting under the responsibility of the Com-
mittee Secretary and shall be distributed to members of
the Committee,

3. Minutes of Proceedings are confidential documents 3. Minutes of Proceedings OF CLOSED SESSIONS
of committees which shall not be distributed to other are confidential documents of committees which shall not
persons than members of the Committee concerned, be distributed to other persons than members of the
members of the Standing Committee and Secretaries Committee concerned, members of the Standing Com-
of national delegations,

mittee and Secretaries of national delegations.

A. POSSIBLE REMEDIAL REVISIONS TO THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY-Continued

National delegations shall appoint delegation Secre-
taries who shall be entitled to be present at meetings of
the Assembly and its Committees, and shall have access
to the Assembly chamber and to Committee rooms.

They are asked to help the Secretary General in main-
taining close and effective administrative links between
the Assembly and the parliaments.
XI. CONSULTATIVE STATUS

Article 35. The Assembly may, on the proposal of the Standing Committee, make suitable arrangements for consultation with international governmental and non-governmental organizations which deal with matters which are within its competence. It may invite such organizations to submit written reports to it, debate such reports and hear representatives of these organizations. I

XII. USE OF LANGUAGES

Article 36.

1. The official languages of the Assembly shall be
languages shall be interpreted.
English and French. Speeches in either of the two official
2. A speaker wishing

to use another language shall be
personally responsible for ensuring its interpretation into
one of the official languages.
XIII. REPORTS-PUBLICATION

Article 37.
1. The Secretariat shall be responsible for the distri-
bution of documents for each sitting.

2. The Secretariat shall ensure the publication of reports, recommendations, resolutions, opinions and orders of the Assembly. A record of the plenary sessions of the Assembly shall also be made, and this record shall be available to all members. Corrections of form and style may be made to the record, at the discretion of the President, up to a period of three months following the previous sitting of the Assembly.

XIV. PRESS COMMUNIQUES

Article 38.

1. Official press communiques may only be issued:

—regarding the work of the Assembly as a whole,
on the express instructions of the President (or acting
President);
--regarding the work of the Committees, on the
express instructions of the appropriate Committee

Chairman and with the agreement of the Committee.
2. Delegates shall otherwise be free to make use of the
good offices of the International Secretariat to issue press
releases on their own responsibility, without committing
the Assembly in any way. Such a release should be
preceded by an indication that the statements in the
communique are those of the delegate concerned and do
not necessarily reflect the views of the North Atlantic
Assembly.

3. Officers of Committees shall not communicate to the
press details of draft reports, recommendations and resolu-
tions, opinions and orders prior to their discussion in
Committee.