2. The Committee was addressed by Mr. Vicharn Jayanandana, Governor of Chiang Rai, who welcomed the participants. The Committee was also addressed by Dr. Soetatwo Hadiwigeno, Assistant Director-General of FAO and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, on behalf of the Directors-General of FAO and WHO. He stressed the importance of the work of Codex in the context of the WTO Agreements, as had been recognized by the 1996 World Food Summit. Dr. Pakdee Pothisiri, Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, expressed his thanks to the Thai government to have hosted the current session of the Committee and commended Asian countries for their active participation in the Codex work. Miss K. Sinsakul welcomed participants and wished success of the Session in developing a closer cooperation in food standardization. Mrs. Phani Na Rangsi, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, opened the Session and wished that the work of the Committee would result in the promotion of consumer health as well as fair trade practices to achieve goals of social happiness and quality living.
