Article 17. Fixing of Locale

The place of arbitration, in the absence of an agreement by the parties, shall be determined by the Secretariat considering the convenience of the parties and access to documentary evidence.

Article 18. Settlement by Conciliation

(1) The Secretariat shall, upon the receipt of a conciliation request from both parties within 15 days in case of Domestic Arbitration and within 30 days in case of International Arbitration from the Basic Date, conduct conciliation proceedings before the dispute is presented for arbitration.
(2) The conciliation proceedings shall be followed by the appointment of one or three conciliators by the Secretariat from among those in the Panel of Arbitrators. The Conciliator(s) shall have the discretion to determine the conduct and manner of the conciliation proceeding.