system: You are a contract-analysis assistant performing a span-extraction task. You are given an excerpt from a commercial contract and the name of a clause type to locate within it.

Return the exact text of the requested clause, copied verbatim from the excerpt — identical wording and punctuation, with no paraphrasing, summarising, explanation, or added commentary.

The excerpt is one window of a much longer contract and often will not contain the requested clause. If the requested clause does not appear in this excerpt, respond with exactly: Not found.

Output only the extracted clause text, or the exact string `Not found.` — nothing else.

user: Contract excerpt:
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or before the RFS Date, do or cause to be done, all such acts and things as may be necessary within its operating Country to provide and maintain throughout the period of this Agreement suitable connection of capacity from APCN 2 with appropriate inland communications facilities in its operating Country. 16.2 The Terminal Parties will provide connection to APCN 2 to other Carriers within their Countries on terms and conditions negotiated and agreed by the parties concerned. 17. DIRECT ACCESS TO NETWORK INTERFACE AND EQUAL ACCESS TO TERMINAL STATION 17.1 The Terminal Parties agree to confer the right of Direct Access at the Network Interface to each Party and all other Carriers that have received the Right of Use pursuant to Paragraph 12. The connection to the Network Interface at specific Terminal Stations shall be provided at a reasonable cost in accordance with the physical, engineering and any locally applicable arrangements between the Carriers accessing the Network Interface and the respective Terminal Parties at the Terminal Station. 17.2 Upon request by the Parties or the other Carriers, the Terminal Party shall enter into negotiation in good faith with these parties to agree the above arrangements in a timely manner. Any arrangements agreed upon shall be reasonable and non-discriminatory. 29 17.3 The physical and engineering arrangements to be negotiated shall include all reasonable arrangements such as mid-span interconnection, equipment co-location (whether physical or virtual), or the sharing of Direct Access facilities by one or more Carriers in accordance with applicable commercial arrangements to be negotiated between the Terminal Party and the Carriers concerned. 17.4 The Terminal Parties shall not and hereby pledge not to impede or cause to impede any qualified Carriers in exercising their right of Direct Access hereby conferred, including but not limited to the negotiation between the non-Terminal Parties and Carriers for their own facilities to access their Allocated Capacity including for purpose of providing backhaul and transiting facilities. 18. DURATION OF AGREEMENT AND REALIZATION OF ASSETS 18.1 This Agreement shall become effective on the date and year first above written and shall continue in operation for at least an initial period of twenty-five (25) years following the RFS Date (hereinafter referred to as "initial Period") and shall be terminable thereafter by agreement of the Parties. However, any Party may terminate its participation in this Agreement at the end of the Initial Period or any time thereafter by giving not less than one (1) year's prior notice thereof, in writing, to the other Parties. 18.2 This Agreement may be terminated at any time during the Initial Period by agreement in writing of all the Parties. If unanimous agreement cannot be reached between all the Parties for the retirement of APCN 2 during its specified useful life, this subject matter shall be referred to the Management Committee for resolution in accordance with paragraph 3 but in this case a ninety percent (90%) majority of the total voting interests as specified in Schedule B is required. 18.3 After the Initial Period of twenty-five (25) years, decommissioning can be implemented by agreement of a number of Parties representing at least two-thirds (66.67%) of the voting interests specified in Schedule B. 18.4 If a Terminal Party terminates its participation in this Agreement pursuant to Subparagraph 18.1 of this Agreement after the Initial Period of twenty-five (25) years, the remaining Parties and the said Terminal Party will negotiate a reasonable agreement in order to ensure the continuous operation of the said Terminal Party's Terminal Station after the Initial Period. 18.5 Upon the effective date of termination of participation of a Party, Schedules of this Agreement shall be appropriately modified. The remaining Parties to this Agreement shall assume the obligations, capital, operation, and maintenance interests of the Party terminating its participation in proportion to their interests assigned immediately preceding such effective date of termination, except for the continuing rights and obligations of the terminating Party as specified in Subparagraph 18.7 of this Agreement. 30 No credit for capital costs will be made to a Party that terminates its participation in accordance with Subparagraph 18.1. 18.6 Upon decommissioning of the APCN 2, the Parties shall use all reasonable efforts to liquidate Segment S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, and S8 of the APCN 2, within one (1) year, by sale or other disposition between the Parties or any of them or by sale to other entities or persons; but no sale or disposition shall be effected except by agreement between or among the Parties
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Extract the exact clause related to "Effective Date" from the excerpt above.

assistant: This Agreement shall become effective on the date and year first above written and shall continue in operation for at least an initial period of twenty-five (25) years following the RFS Date (hereinafter referred to as "initial Period") and shall be terminable thereafter by agreement of the Parties.