Schedule of Events for Tuesday, 6 February

LJUBLJANA - Deputy group leaders and Speaker France Cukjati are meeting at noon to discuss the convocation of an extraordinary parliamentary session, requested by 39 opposition deputies over a defence deal. The petitioners believe Defence Minister Karl Erjavec misled the public over the purchase of 135 armoured personnel carriers from Finnish defence contractor Patria. The speaker is obliged to call the session by 15 February at the latest.

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec and Chief-of-Staff, Gen.-Lt. Albin Gutman, are to address the press at 10 AM ahead of the departure of the 10th Motorised Battalion for Kosovo. The pair are expected to discuss crisis response operations that Slovenian troops have been engaged in so far.

LJUBLJANA - The core working group in charge of preparations for Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008 is to meet at 2:30 PM. The group, chaired by Prime Minister Janez Jansa, will be briefed on the pace of preparations over the last three months.

ROME, Italy - Representatives of ethnic Slovenians in Italy are to meet Italian Minister for Regional Affairs and Local Autonomy Linda Lanzillotta at 5:15 PM to discuss the implementation of the Slovenian minority protection act. The minority is to be represented by Rudi Pavsic, the head of the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Association (SKGZ), and Drago Stoka, the head of the Council of Slovenian Organisations (SSO).

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Local Government and Regional Development Committee is to convene a session at noon to take its position on the petition to the Constitutional Court to review laws dealing with local elections and the general election. The petition was filed by Breda Pecan, a deputy of the opposition Social Democrats (SD), who failed to get elected Izola mayor in the closest-fought runoff of the 2006 local elections.

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Dragutin mate is to present his ministry's plans for 2007 at 11 AM.

LJUBLJANA - Transport Minister Janez Bozic is to outline the programme of the ministry's work for 2007 at a press conference scheduled for 9 AM.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - A delegation of the parliamentary EU Affairs Committee is attending the final day of the 3rd inter-parliamentary meeting on the Lisbon Strategy.

LJUBLJANA - A panel on the role of Islam in modern societies is to bring together Islamic dignitaries from the United Kingdom, the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and representatives of groups on intercultural and interreligious dialogue. Dialogue among cultures and religions is one of the priorities of Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008. The panel begins at 6 PM.

LJUBLJANA - Galex, a small maker of generic drugs, is to present the results for 2006 at 10 AM.

LJUBLJANA - The the winners of the Emzin Photo of the Year Prize will be made known at a ceremony at the Cankarjev dom arts centre at 8 PM. (STA/PHOTO)

LJUBLJANA - The STA is to release a backgrounder ahead of a Foreign Ministry-sponsored conference on intercultural dialogue, to be held in Jable just outside Ljubljana on Wednesday and Thursday.

LJUBLJANA - Press review. (STA)

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8:00 AM to 3:30 PM: Ela Petrovcic
3:30 PM to 10:00 PM: Sebastijan Macek

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