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Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to address this informal session you have graciously arranged.

Today, we are pleased to discuss what we and many other delegations believe to be one of the highest priorities before us -- the issue of the scope of application of the Convention as a whole.

Mr. Chairman, most of the world's conflicts today are not international. Most take place within the boundaries of an individual state. They often involve contests between the authorities of a state and other groups who seek power, or between armed groups that do not necessarily function under state authority at all.