The official use of the language followed years of campaigning, while the Welsh-speaking minister representing the entire UK added to a sense of history.

Last month, foreign ministers representing this so-called "contact group" on Bosnia appealed jointly for a four-month cease-fire to prepare the ground for a political settlement.

On Oct. 12, for example, he emerged from a meeting with 35 black ministers representing 800 black churches in New Jersey to announce their endorsement of his re-election.

The Council is composed of national ministers for the relevant topic of discussion, with each minister representing their national government.

Members of the board include the president, vice presidents, and at least nine ministers representing geographic regions.

He was accompanied by 17 ministers representing all 13 parties in his government [see below].

Note: Between 1824 and 1854 there was no minister representing the U.S. in Lisbon.

Van den Broek, who led a trio of foreign ministers representing the European Community, spent five hours trying in vain to persuade Milosevic to relent.

In most Australian states, the director-general is the most senior civil servant in any government department, reporting only to the democratically-elected minister representing that department.

The contacts said the Cabinet would include 26 ministers representing all of Lebanon's factions.