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(2) Unless the parties have agreed upon the place where meetings with the conciliator are to be held,
such place shall be determined by the conciliator, after consultation with the parties, having regard to the
circumstances of the conciliation proceedings.
70. Disclosure of information.—When the conciliator receives factual information concerning the
dispute from a party, he shall disclose the substance of that information to the other party in order that the
other party may have the opportunity to present any explanation which he considers appropriate:
Provided that when a party gives any information to the conciliator subject to a specific condition that
it be kept confidential, the conciliator shall not disclose that information to the other party.
71. Co-operation of parties with conciliator.—The parties shall in good faith co-operate with the
conciliator and, in particular, shall endeavour to comply with requests by the conciliator to submit written
materials, provide evidence and attend meetings.
72. Suggestions by parties for settlement of dispute.—Each party may, on his own initiative or at
the invitation of the conciliator, submit to the conciliator suggestions for the settlement of the dispute.
73. Settlement agreement.—(1) When it appears to the conciliator that there exist elements of a
settlement which may be acceptable to the parties, he shall formulate the terms of a possible settlement
and submit them to the parties for their observations. After receiving the observations of the parties, the
conciliator may reformulate the terms of a possible settlement in the light of such observations.
(2) If the parties reach agreement on a settlement of the dispute, they may draw up and sign a written
settlement agreement. If requested by the parties, the conciliator may draw up, or assist the parties in
drawing up, the settlement agreement.
(3) When the parties sign the settlement agreement, it shall be final and binding on the parties and
persons claiming under them respectively.
(4) The conciliator shall authenticate the settlement agreement and furnish a copy thereof to each of
the parties.
74. Status and effect of settlement agreement.—The settlement agreement shall have the same
status and effect as if it is an arbitral award on agreed terms on the substance of the dispute rendered by
an arbitral tribunal under section 30.
75. Confidentiality.—Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in
force, the conciliator and the parties shall keep confidential all matters relating to the conciliation
proceedings. Confidentiality shall extend also to the settlement agreement, except where its disclosure is
necessary for purposes of implementation and enforcement.
76. Termination of conciliation proceedings.—The conciliation proceedings shall be terminated—
(a) by the signing of the settlement agreement by the parties, on the date of the agreement; or
(b) by a written declaration of the conciliator, after consultation with the parties, to the effect that
further efforts at conciliation are no longer justified, on the date of the declaration; or
(c) by a written declaration of the parties addressed to the conciliator to the effect that the
conciliation proceedings are terminated, on the date of the declaration; or
(d) by a written declaration of a party to the other party and the conciliator, if appointed, to the
effect that the conciliation proceedings are terminated, on the date of the declaration.
77. Resort to arbitral or judicial proceedings.—The parties shall not initiate, during the
conciliation proceedings, any arbitral or judicial proceedings in respect of a dispute that is the subject-
matter of the conciliation proceedings except that a party may initiate arbitral or judicial proceedings
where, in his opinion, such proceedings are necessary for preserving his rights.
78. Costs.—(1) Upon termination of the conciliation proceedings, the conciliator shall fix the costs of
the conciliation and give written notice thereof to the parties.
(2) For the purpose of sub-section (1), “costs” means reasonable costs relating to—