6th Council Meeting
held on 10 – 13 October 2002 in Portorose (Slovenia)

Participants were delegates from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom. Presentation of Slovenia's handycapped-peoples' care system by members of Slovenia's legislative, executive, and the director of the Institute for Rehabilitation. Discussion on ASIF's Internet policy and proposals for improvements. Presentation by the vice president of  results of an ASIF research project on HLA-B27 positive and HLA-B27 negative patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Proposal of a European Registry of Spondyloarthritis with data collected by the ankylosing spondylitis societies in Europe. Proposal of a data collection and exchange of experiences concerning the creation and financing of local branches of ankylosing spondylitis societies. Retirement of ASIF president Fergus Rogers and all members of the Executive Committee exept the vice president. Election of Seoirse Smith (secretary of the Ankylosing Spondylitis Association of Ireland) as new ASIF president, and election of a new ASIF Executive Committee.

Fergus Rogers, initiator of ASIF and its president until 2002, with Marjan Hudomalj, president of the ankylosing spondylitis society in Slovenia who organized the  meeting held  in Portorose.     Seoirse Smith from Ireland, newly elected ASIF president, and Jon Hagfors, delegate from Norway and new member of the Executive Committee, at the 6th ASIF Council meeting held  in Portorose.

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