The Bureau is very pleased to announce that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya completed its accession formalities on 5 April 2000, and the Convention on Wetlands, as amended by the Paris Protocol of 1982, will come into force for the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on 5 August 2000. The new Party has informed UNESCO, the Convention’s Depositary, that two wetlands have been designated as Wetlands of International Importance – Ain Elshakika and Ain Elzarga, both on or near the Mediterranean coast in the general area of Darnah and Tubruq – but Ramsar Information Sheets have not yet been received for them. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya becomes the Convention’s 121st Contracting Party, and these are the 1026th and 1027th Ramsar sites globally. [30/5/00]
