Schedule of Events from 16 to 22 January

MONDAY, 16 January
        LJUBLJANA - Official opening of the Japanese Embassy in Slovenia, hosted by Ambassador Itaru Umezu. The event will be attended by several top Japanese and Slovenian officials. FM Dimitrij Rupel is to deliver the opening address.
        LJUBLJANA - President Janez Drnovsek is to host a consultation on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Nicholas Harvey of the Darfur Crisis Unit at the UK Foreign Office is to attend as a special guest, while representatives of the Slovenian Foreign Ministry and humanitarian organisations were also invited.
        BRNIK - Aerodrom Ljubljana, the company running Brnik airport, is to present to the press its cooperation with Turkish Airlines, which is to launch its regular flights from Brnik on Monday.
        LJUBLJANA - The head of the parliamentary group for relations with Japan, Anton Kokalj, is to receive Okiharu Yasuoka, the head of the Japanese parliamentary group for Japanese-Slovenian friendship.
        LJUBLJANA - The leader of the opposition Social Democrats Borut Pahor is to present to the press his reply to a letter on the issue of the erased which he has received from President Janez Drnovsek.
        LJUBLJANA - NLB Skladi, the fund management arm of Slovenia's largest bank Nova Ljubljanska banka, is to outline to the press the results of the company and mutual funds in 2005, the new mutual funds and plans for 2006.
        RAVNE NA KOROSKEM - Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Jure Zupan is to visit Metal Ravne, one of the biggest steel producers of the Slovenian Steel Group.
        LJUBLJANA - The Jozef Stefan Institute and Ljubljana's main hospital, Klinicni center, are to speak to the press about possible cooperation.
        SLOVENJ GRADEC - Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Jure Zupan and Labour Minister Janez Drobnic are to start a series of visits to secondary schools around Slovenia in a bid to promote university programmes with good employment prospects.
        GENEVA, Switzerland - The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Hager of Austria, is to begin its tour of Switzerland in Geneva's Victoria Hall. The tour concludes on 22 January.

TUESDAY, 17 January
        BEIJING, China - A Slovenian delegation, headed by Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Franc But, is to attend a two-day international conference on avian flu.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - State Secretary for European Affairs Marcel Koprol is to hold a working lunch with the ambassadors of the EU countries to Slovenia.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Trade Chamber is to hold a session to discuss the government-sponsored bill on chambers of commerce.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Ombudsman Matjaz Hanzek is to talk to the press about current issues as well as outline his work.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian rating firm Bonitetna hisa I and the international rating firm Dun&Bradstreet are to confer awards on three Slovenian companies with the highest rating in 2005.
        
WEDNESDAY, 18 January
        NEW YORK, US - President Janez Drnovsek is scheduled to meet UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss Drnovsek's recent initiative to solve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - President Janez Drnovsek and PM Janez Jansa ate to host a reception for the diplomats to mark the beginning of the new year.
        TRIESTE, Italy - Director general of the Slovenian Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, Bojan Zmavc, and Regional minister for Civil Protection in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Gianfranco Moretton, are to sign a protocol on cross-border cooperation.
        LJUBLJANA - The Health Insurance Institute (ZZZS) is to speak to the press about its business results in 2005 and plans for 2006.
        LJUBLJANA - The gay and lesbian organisation Legebitra is to open new premises and talk to the press about its work in 2005 and plans for 2006.
        LJUBLJANA - An international exhibition of the European network Art Nouveau is to open in Ljubljana.
        VELENJE - The international tournament in table tennis, the Liebherr Slovenian Open, is to start in the town of Velenje.

THURSDAY, 19 January
        VILLACH, Austria - Labour Minister Janez Drobnic is to take part in an informal meeting of labour ministers of the EU member states.
        LJUBLJANA - The government is to hold its weekly session.
        BOROVNICA - A press conference on ammunition control in the Slovenian Armed Forces to take place. Afterward, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec and Chief-of-Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces Ladislav Lipic are to open facilities for ammunition maintenance and speak to the press.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Sociological Society is to host a round table on social effects of the government-sponsored reforms.
        LJUBLJANA - Union Olimpija, currently last in Group A of basketball's Euroleague, is to play against France's Strasbourg.

FRIDAY, 20 January
        LJUBLJANA - Education and Sports Minister Milan Zver is to attend the ceremony marking the presence of the Olympic Flame in Slovenia before the Winter Olympic Games in Italy's Turin in February.
        GORIZIA, Italy - The Gorizia-based Slovenian Economic Association and the Northern Primorska Chamber of Commerce and Industry are to present the possibilities of cross-border cooperation of Slovenian small and medium-sized businesses.
        MARIBOR - Slovenian Enterprise Fund is to present to the press its aid programmes for development investments of small and medium-sized businesses in Slovenia.
        KLAGENFURT, Austria - The 26th Tischler Award - conferred onto Slovenian people or institutions credited with merits for the Slovenian minority in Austria's Carinthia - is to be conferred by two minority organisations. This year's laureate is musician and composer Joze Ropitz.
        TENERIFE, Spain - Theatre director Tomaz Pandur is to start a one-month tour of Spain with his controversial piece "100 Minutes".
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian National Opera and Ballet (SNG) and the Cankarjev dom arts centre are to jointly stage Sergei Prokofiev's modern opera "The Love for Three Oranges".

SATURDAY, 21 January
        LARVIK, Norway - Slovenian women's handball champions Krim to take on Norway's Larvik in the third round of handball's Champions League.

SUNDAY, 22 January
        LA PAZ, Bolivia - President Janez Drnovsek is scheduled to attend the inauguration of the new Bolivian president Evo Morales.
        VELENJE - The international tournament in table tennis, the Liebherr Slovenian Open, is to conclude in the town of Velenje.