The government of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), authorized by China's central government, and the Iceland government Friday signed the Agreement of Readmission of Persons with Unauthorized Stays.

The signing ceremony was held at Macao SAR Government Headquarters, in which the SAR's Secretary for Administration and Justice, Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, and the Ambassador of Iceland in Beijing, Mr. Gunnar Snorri Gunnarsson, representing the two governments respectively, signed the agreement.

Both parties deem that the agreement, formed on the basis of reciprocal principle, will establish an efficient and effective procedure of identity verification and repatriation of those who do not fulfill or no longer fulfill the requirements of immigration, stay or abode in the Macao SAR or Iceland, according to a press release from the SAR government.

The agreement will be effective from the first day of the second month after the two sides received the written confirmation of the completion of relevant procedures from each other.

(Xinhua News Agency February 20, 2009)