[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 68 (Friday, April 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17436-17437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8913]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice #3005]


Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Private International 
Law (ACPIL) Study Group on Judgments; Meeting Notice

    There will be a public meeting of the Study Group on Judgments of 
the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Private International 
Law on Friday, May 7, 1999, from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM in Room 5951 of the 
U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC.
    The purpose of the meeting is to consider legal issues related to 
the project of the Hague Conference on Private International Law to 
prepare a multilateral convention on jurisdiction and the recognition 
and enforcement of foreign civil judgments. The meeting will assist the 
Department of State prepare the U.S. position for the fourth 
negotiating session of the Hague Conference's Special Commission on 
June 7-18, 1999.
    The meeting will consider a report prepared by the drafting group 
of the Hague Special Commission at the third negotiating session in 
November 1998, which will be before the delegates to the fourth session 
in June 1999. The drafting committee report includes a preliminary 
first draft of a limited number of the provisions of a future draft 
convention. This text does not represent the views of any particular 
government, but is the first attempt to put into treaty language 
various approaches discussed so far in the Special Commission to 
resolving some of the many complex issues posed by a global convention. 
Included, for example, are draft provisions on jurisdiction in tort, 
contract, and over branches; provisional and protective measures; 
recognition and enforcement of judgments; damages; and concurrent and 
declining jurisdiction.
    The Study Group will also consider other issues that will be before 
the delegates to the June 1999 session of the Special Commission, 
including: litigation involving governments or governmental entities as 
plaintiffs or defendants; the structure and geographic scope of the 
convention; class actions and multiple defendants; the independence of 
the court issuing the judgments and the fairness of the proceedings; 
public policy exception to enforcement; the relationship of the 
convention to other treaties on the same subject; review or oversight 
of operation of the convention; and how the convention is to work in 
countries that are federal states. It is expected that additional texts 
will emerge from the drafting group at the end of the June 1999 
session, including possibly a complete draft convention. Currently, a 
diplomatic session of the Hague Conference is scheduled for October 
2000 to complete and adopt and final text of the convention.
    Persons interested in the draft convention or in attending the May 
7 Study Group meeting in Washington may request a copy of the report of 
the drafting committee. Requests may be sent to Ms. Rosie Gonzales by 
fax at 202-776-8482, by phone at 202-776-8420 or by email to 
[email protected]. Please include your request, name, phone number, and 
mailing address.
    The Study Group meeting is open to the public up to the capacity of 
the meeting room. As access to the State Department building is 
controlled, any person wishing to attend should provide Ms. Gonzales 
with his or her name, social security number, and date of birth by no 
later than Monday, May 3, to facilitate admission to the building. It 
would also be helpful to include affiliation, address, telefax and 
telephone numbers, and email address for purposes of updating the 
Department's contact list. Participants should be sure to use only the 
C Street entrance of the State Department, between 21st and 23rd 
Streets, NW, where someone will be present to assist them.
    Those unable to attend but wishing to have their views considered 
may send their views, attention Ms. Gonzales, to the above fax number 
or email address, or to the following address: Office of the Assistant 
Legal Adviser for Private International Law, Suite 203, South

[[Page 17437]]

Building, 2430 E St., NW, Washington, DC 20037-2800.
Jeffrey D. Kovar,
Assistant Legal Adviser for Private International Law.
[FR Doc. 99-8913 Filed 4-8-99; 8:45 am]
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