ABSTRACT
The humanitarian urgency and the good faith spirit of all delegations to negotiate a treaty could be felt in Dublin from day one, 19 May 2008. While the Irish President emphasized at the outset that every effort would be made to reach consensus on the text, he did not rule out the possibility of voting by two-thirds majority. Where there was general agreement on a provision it would be forwarded to the Plenary as a Presidency text. Failing such agreement, Friends of the Chair would be appointed to hold informal consultations the format of which was subject to their own discretion. The outcome of such consultations should then be shared with the Committee of the Whole which should then strive for consensus on a given provision. 1
