31.   Attending the closed-door session at the U.N. European headquarters, which opened Thursday morning with Switzerland in the chair, were interested countries that have ratified the conventions.

32.   Attending the closed-door session at the U.N. European headquarters will be interested countries that have ratified the conventions.

33.   Barbados has ratified the convention setting up the Association of Caribbean States, which links the countries of the Caribbean and Latin America in a trade zone.

34.   But fewer than half of those countries have ratified the convention.

35.   Calling on the government and the House of Representatives to quickly ratify the convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading acts.

36.   Examples cited were the U.S. failure to ratify a convention to ban anti-personnel land mines and opposition to establishment of an international criminal court.

37.   Forty-one European countries and Israel have ratified the convention, which regulates the extradition of people accused of crimes.

38.   He added that efforts are underway to ensure the two countries ratify the convention before it enters into force, but he did not elaborate.

39.   He added that efforts are underway to ensure that the two countries ratify the convention before it enters into force in April.

40.   However, many of the countries that did ratify the convention were not abiding by it, UNICEF said.