Schedule of Events from 23 to 29 February

MONDAY, 23 February

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and Europe Minister Janez Potocnik are to attend a meeting of foreign ministers from EU members and acceding countries over the future EU budget.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Europe Minister and Slovenia's European commissioner candidate Janez Potocnik is to meet European Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - FM Dimitrij Rupel is to attend a meeting of the OSCE Troika on the situation in Georgia, Belarus, Moldova and on Western Balkans-related issues.

SKOPJE, Macedonia - Defence Minister Anton Grizold is to start a two-day official visit to Macedonia. He is scheduled to meet his counterpart Vlado Buckovski, Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski and PM Branko Crvenkovski.

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly is to convene for its February five-day session at 2 PM. Topping the agenda will be the ratification of the North Atlantic Treaty. MPs are also scheduled to decide on the candidacy of judge Franc Testen for president of the Supreme Court.

LJUBLJANA - European veterinary inspectors are due to begin a five-day visit to Slovenia to examine the country's monitoring of toxic substances in animals and products of animal origin.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A Slovenian delegation is to attend the first meeting of parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

BARCELONA, Spain - A draw for the groups of the second part of the Euroleague.

TUESDAY, 24 February

LJUBLJANA - The North Atlantic Treaty is to be ratified as the February session of the National Assembly carries on. The ratification will be one of the last steps before Slovenia's NATO integration.

HELSINKI, Finland - President Janez Drnovsek is to leave for Finland, where he is to hold a state visit on Wednesday and Thursday. He is to meet with Finland's President Tarja Halonen, PM Matti Vanhanen and Speaker of Parliament Paavo Lipponen. Drnovsek will be accompanied by FM Dimitrij Rupel, and will be joined on Thursday by Economics Minister Tea Petrin and Education Minister Slavko Gaber, as they will attend a forum on science and the competitive role of small countries.

LJUBLJANA - Slovakia's Deputy PM Pal Csaky, who is responsible for European integration, human rights and minorities, is to pay a visit to Slovenia. He will be received by Europe Minister Janez Potocnik and Foreign Ministry State Secretary Andrej Logar.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Agriculture Minister Franci But is to attend a regular monthly meeting of agriculture ministers from EU member states and acceding countries.

LJUBLJANA - Industry trade unions are to hold a press conference on the last preparations fro Wednesday's one-hour token strike.

LJUBLJANA - Bilateral political consultations between Slovenia and Romania are to be led by Slovenia's and Romania's Foreign Ministry state secretaries Andrej Logar and Cristian Diaconescu. The latter will be received by Europe Minister Janez Potocnik.

LJUBLJANA - Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is to hold a lecture on the challenges and opportunities on the common European market. Jones will be received by Europe Minister Janez Potocnik.

LJUBLJANA - As part of evening panels about journalism organised by the Peace Institute, a panel is scheduled to focus on media and minorities.

LJUBLJANA - A public panel at the counter-culture centre Metelkova is to mark 12 years since some 18,000 persons were erased from Slovenia's permanent residency register. The panel will be organised as part of the "week of the erased" by the Association of the Erased.

WEDNESDAY, 25 February

LJUBLJANA - A one-hour token strike is to be staged by industry trade unions.

LJUBLJANA - Dutch Europe Minister Azto Nicolai is to visit Slovenia.

LJUBLJANA - The Association of the Erased is to meet with representatives of foreign embassies.

LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of the Public Fund for Cultural Activities is to hold a meeting.

THURSDAY, 26 February

MOSTAR, Bosnia-Herzegovina - PM Anton Rop is to attend an international investment conference in the Bosnian town of Mostar.

LJUBLJANA - Two members of the Swedish parliamentary foreign policy committee, Kenneth Forslund and Kent Haerstedt, are to pay a two-day working visit to Slovenia.

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's leading retailer Mercator is to hold a press conference on its 2003 business results and 2004 business plan.

LJUBLJANA - The Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office from Ljubljana and the Austrian Embassy are to stage a panel on Central Europe in light of the EU enlargement.

LJUBLJANA - A press conference is to be held ahead of the opening of the Austrian Institute in Ljubljana.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Minister of Education, Science and Sport Slavko Gaber is to attend a meeting of ministers from EU member states and acceding countries.

PORTLAOISE, Ireland - Minister of Structural Policy and Regional Development Zdenka Kovac is expected to attend a two-day meeting of ministers from current and future EU countries, responsible for regional policy.

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Minister of Information Society Pavel Gantar is expected to attend a two-day conference of European information society ministers.

LJUBLJANA - The government is set to hold its weekly session.

LJUBLJANA - Marking 40 years of the studies in journalism, the Faculty of Social Sciences is to stage a panel on Slovenian journalism.

FRIDAY, 27 February

LJUBLJANA - The council of the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) is to meet to discuss the party's working programme for this year's elections.

SATURDAY, 28 February

PLETERNIK - A ceremony is to mark 60 years since the U.S. bomber B24H Liberator crashed near Logatec, some 30 km southwest of Ljubljana.

LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly is to discuss a draft resolution on the 2004-2007 National Programme for culture.

KRANJSKA GORA - Men's slalom world cup competition is due in the morning; also Sunday.