449 



Contracting Governments for their consideration at least 

 six months before it is considered by the Assembly. 



(3) (c) A conference of Governments to consider amendments to 



the present Convention proposed by any Contracting 

 Government shall at any time be convened by the Orga- 

 nization upon the request of one-third of the Contracting 

 Governments. 



(6) Every amendment adopted by such conference by a two- 

 thirds majority of the Contracting Governments shall be 

 communicated by the Organization to all Contracting 

 Governments iur their acceptance. 



(4) Any amendment communicated to Contracting Governments 

 for their acceptance under paragraph (2) or (3) of this Article shall 

 come into force for all Contracting Governments, except those which 

 before it comes into force make a declaration that they do not accept 

 the amendment, twelve months after the date on which the amend- 

 ment is accepted by two-thirds of the Contracting Governments. 



(5) The Assembly, by a two-thirds majority vote, including two- 

 thirds of the Governments represented on the Maritime Safety 

 Committee, and subject to the concurrence of two-thirds of the 

 Contracting Governments to the present Convention, or a conference 

 convened under paragraph (3) of this Article by a two-thirds majority 

 vote, may determine at the time of its adoption that the amendment 

 is of such an important nature that any Contracting Government 

 which makes a declaration under paragraph (4) of this Article and 

 which does not accept the amendment within a period of twelve 

 months after the amendment comes into force, shall, upon the expiry 

 of this period, cease to be a party to the present Convention. 



(6) The Organization shaU inform all Contracting Governments of 

 any amendments which come into force under this Article, together 

 with the date on which such amendments shall come into force. 



(7) Any acceptance or declaration under this Article shall be made 

 by a notification in writing to the Organization which shall notify 

 aU Contracting Governments of the receipt of the acceptance or 

 declaration. 



13. The existing text of Article XVIII of the Convention is replaced 

 by the following: 



Article XVIII 



(1) (a) The United Nations in cases where they are the admin- 

 istering authority for a territory or any Contracting Gov- 

 ernment responsible for the international relations of a 

 territory shall as soon as possible consult with such territory 

 in an endeavour to extend the present Convention to that 

 territory and may at any time by notification in writing 



