Schedule of Events for Wednesday, 3 December

BEIJING, China - Prime Minister Anton Rop is to begin his first, four-day, official visit to China. He is due to hold talks on Wednesday with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, while Thursday's agenda includes a business conference in Beijing, and talks with President Hu Jintao and head of China's parliament Wu Bangguo. Rop is accompanied by a strong delegation of government and business officials. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - Parliament Speaker Borut Pahor is to hold consultations with heads of deputy groups on the bill on the government-parliament cooperation regarding EU matters. The talks behind closed doors are scheduled to begin at 11 AM.

LJUBLJANA - The junior coalition United List of Social Democrats (ZLSD) is to hold a news conference at 11:30 AM, presenting its view on the bill on the government-parliament cooperation regarding EU matters.

NAPLES, Italy - Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel is to attend the meeting of EU current and future members and 11 partner Mediterranean countries (EUROMED).

KLAGENFURT, Austria - Minister for Structural Policies and Regional Development Zdenka Kovac is to hold talks with the Governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia Joerg Haider, to discuss closer cooperation between Slovenia and Carinthia. Kovac is also scheduled to meet with representatives of the Slovenian minority. (STA)

CAVTAT, Croatia - Slovenia's Europe Minister Janez Potocnik is due to attend a regional economic forum for SE Europe.

LJUBLJANA - Works are set to begin on a new asylum-seekers centre in the Slovenian capital. Interior Minister Rado Bohinc is to present the role of the new centre at 1 PM. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - The Preseren Fund is to hold a news conference at 9:30 AM to reveal the winners of Slovenia's highest awards in arts, the Preseren Awards. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - Speaker of Montenegrin Parliament Ranko Krivokapic is to begin a two-day official visit to Slovenia at the invitation of his Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor. He is due to meet on Thursday with Pahor, heads of deputy groups, and members of the parliamentary committee for foreign policy and commission for European affairs.

LJUBLJANA - A delegation of the Italian Senate committee of finance and treasury is to visit Slovenia at the invitation of the Slovenian parliamentary committee for finance and monetary policy. The delegation is to meet with Parliament Speaker Borut Pahor on Thursday.

LJUBLJANA - Two-day defence consultations between Slovenia and Slovakia are set to take place.

LJUBLJANA - State secretaries of the Slovenian and Hungarian Defence Ministries, Milan Jazbec and Martin Fedorj, respectively, are to hold talks at 11:40 AM.

LJUBLJANA - German Ambassador to Slovenia Hans Jochen Peters is to hold a lecture at 5 PM on the German perspective of EU policies in SE Europe.

KOPER - Koper-based bank Banka Koper is to hold a news conference at 11 AM. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce is due to present its awards for best innovations in 2003 at 9 AM. (STA)

MARIBOR - The University of Maribor is to hold a news conference at 1 PM, after the session of the university senate. Minister of Education, Science and Sport Slavko Gaber is expected to attend the news conference, to present the proposed amendments to the law on higher education.

LJUBLJANA - Mayor of Austria's Graz Siegfried Nagl is to pay a visit to the Slovenian capital to meet with Ljubljana Mayor Danica Simsic. The two mayors are to give a statement to the press at 12:20 PM.

LJUBLJANA - The "Merry Day of Culture" will be put on as Slovenia celebrates the birth of its greatest poet France Preseren. Most Slovenian cultural institutions will have open days to mark the occasion. (STA)

CAKOVEC, Croatia - The Slovenian women's handball team is to play Ivory Coast at the World Championships (group D). (STA)

LJUBLJANA - Press review. (STA)

In case of further queries please contact duty editor at +386 1 241 0109:

8:30 AM to 3:30 PM: Alja Sotlar
3:30 PM to 10:00 PM: Eva Horvat

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