24/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Peter Schieder announced on Thursday that "Monaco's road to membership as the 46th member of the Council of Europe is open". Mr Schieder said he had received letters from the Minister of State of Monaco and the Permanent Representative of France at the Council of Europe indicating above all that an agreement had been found on the principle of allowing citizens of Monaco to have access to all public employment in their country (a 1930 convention provided for some government and civil service posts in the Principality to be reserved for French officials, but negotiations on a new convention to replace this have now been completed). The Joint Committee, which brings together representatives of the Assembly and of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, was to take a decision on Thursday evening in camera. It will then be up to the Committee of Ministers to send a formal invitation to Monaco and to fix the accession date.