547. The representative of Angola, speaking on behalf of the LDC Group, said that the activities of OAPI and ARIPO, both of which undertook substantive examinations of patents and trademarks and were also responsible for the grants, had a bearing on the work of the TRIPS Council. Therefore, it was time to try to grant them observer status on a permanent basis. It would also be pertinent to give observer status to other international organizations, such as the South Centre and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
