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London. This Drafting Committee met in New York from 20 January to 25 February 1947, and the results of its work were recorded in a published Report showing the revised text of the draft Charter. The First Session adopted a further resolution convening a Second Session of the Preparatory Committee at Geneva in April 1947. (5) Prior to the opening of the Second Session in Geneva a series of British Commonwealth talks was held in London for the purpose of exchanging views among Commonwealth members on matters of common concern, particularly tariff preferences, which would be under discussion at Geneva. These discussions, which were at the official level, lasted from 11 March 1947 until 2 April 1947, and assisted to clarify some of the very complex issues which would be involved in the tariff negotiations and Charter discussions at Geneva. (6) The Second Session of the Preparatory Committee opened at Geneva on 10 April 1947, and concluded the Charter discussions on 23 August 1947. The tariff negotiations opened formally on 23 April 1947, when certain countries met to negotiate. They are expected to conclude with a Final Act embodying the text of a General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and will be the subject of a separate Report. Only Plenary Meetings of the Preparatory Committee were open to the public, and of these, four were held in the opening stages and two in the concluding stages of the Session. At the opening Plenary Sessions opportunity was taken to explain New Zealand's position in relation to international trade and its views on the objectives which the World Conference hoped to attain. The final Plenary Sessions were occupied with a review of the Charter as redrafted, in the course of which delegates made general comments on the new text. During the period between the opening and closing Plenary Sessions meetings of the Committee were conducted in Executive Session, and these were not open to the public. Two specialized agencies of the United Nations (The Food and Agricultural Organization and the International Labour Organization) and two other inter-governmental organizations (the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund) were actively associated with all the proceedings of the Session. Some Members of the United Nations who were not Members of the Preparatory Committee were represented by observers. (7) The following were elected as Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Preparatory Committee during the Second Session: Chairman : H.E. M. Max Suetens {Belgium). Vice-Chairmen: First Vice-Chairman : H.E. M. Erik Colban (Norway). Second Vice-Chairman : Sir Raghavan Pillai (India). H.E. Dr. Zdenek Augenthaler (Czechoslovakia). Mr. Sergio I. Clark (Cuba). Hon. L. D. Wilgress (Canada).

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