III.1 The outgoing Chairman, Mr. Azedine Beschaouch, submitted to the members of the Committee a recommendation made by the Bureau at a special meeting held on 6 December 1992, regarding the strictly specific situation evoked by the Observer Mission of the United States of America to UNESCO in its letter of 27 November 1992 to him in his capacity as the Chairman of the Committee. In accordance with this recommendation, the Committee unanimously decided to suspend the application of the dispositions of paragraph 2, Article 14 of the Rules of Procedure, between the sixteenth and seventeenth plenary sessions of the World Heritage Committee (December 1992 to December 1993). The Committee, however, underlined the fact that this decision, taken in a friendly spirit, which has always characterized relations between the members of the Committee, cannot under any circumstances be evoked in the future as a precedent.

III.2 Ms Jennifer Salisbury (United States of America) was elected Chairperson of the Committee by acclamation. Mr. Azedine Beschaouch (Tunisia) was elected Rapporteur, also by acclamation, and the following members of the Committee were elected as Vice-Chairpersons: Brazil, China, Colombia, Germany and Senegal.