3 2. Statute of the Commission IV. FUNCTIONS AND POWERS [. . .] Article 19 With respect to the States Parties to the American Convention on Human Rights, the Commission shall discharge its duties in conformity with the powers granted under the Convention and in the present Statute, and shall have the following powers in addition to those designated in Article 18: a. to act on petitions and other communications, pursuant to the provisions of Article 44 to 51 of the Convention; [. . .] 3. Regulations of the Commission Article 14. Functions of the Secretariat [. . .] 2. The Secretariat shall receive petitions addressed to the Commission and, when appropriate, shall request the necessary information from the governments concerned and, in general, it shall make the necessary arrangements to initiate any proceedings to which such petitions may give rise. [. . .] TITLE II PROCEDURES CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS [. . .] Article 30. Initial Processing 1. The Secretariat of the Commission shall be responsible for the study and initial processing of petitions lodged before the Commission and that fulfill all the requirements set forth in the Statute and in these Regulations. 2. If a petition or communication does not meet the requirements called for in these Regulations, the Secretariat of the Commission may request the petitioner or his representative to complete it. 3. If the Secretariat has any doubt as to the admissibility of a petition, it shall submit it for consideration to the Commission or to the Chairman during recesses of the Commission. CHAPTER II PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING STATES PARTIES TO THE AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS