Schedule of Events for Tuesday, 24 February

LJUBLJANA - Parliament is to convene at 10 AM to ratify the North Atlantic Treaty and accompanying protocols. The ratification document will be first presented by government officials, whereupon all deputy groups will outline their views on the ratification. After submitting ratification documents to Washington, Slovenia will meet the conditions to enter NATO, which is expected to expand on 2 April. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - Resuming their February session in the afternoon, MPs are to hold second reading of a bill on the cooperation of parliament and government after Slovenia joins the EU, and a bill on the implementation of EU customs regulations. In first reading, MPs will debate changes to the defence act and changes to the income tax act as well as a bill on the support environment for entrepreneurship.

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

LJUBLJANA - Slovakia's Deputy PM Pal Csaky, in charge of European integration, human rights and minorities, is due to visit Slovenia. He will be received by Europe Minister Janez Potocnik at 1 PM and Foreign Ministry State Secretary Andrej Logar at 9 AM.

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

THE VATICAN - Pope John Paul II will receive Ljubljana Archbishop and Slovenian Metropolitan Franc Rode in a private audience at 11 AM. The audience follows Rode's recent appointment as the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Rode is also expected to visit the congregation he is to take over after 18 April.

SKOPJE, Macedonia - Defence Minister Anton Grizold will wrap up a two-day official visit to Macedonia.

LJUBLJANA - Industry trade unions will be holding a press conference at 11 AM to discuss the preparations for Wednesday's one-hour token strike. The trade union associations Pergam and Neodvisnost are meanwhile scheduled to stage a press conference at noon to outline their demands on the wage policy and other topical issues. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian and Romanian foreign ministry officials headed by state secretaries Andrej Logar and Cristian Diaconescu are scheduled to meet at 10 AM for bilateral consultations. The Romanian state secretary will also be received by Europe Minister Janez Potocnik.

LJUBLJANA - PM Anton Rop has called a second meeting of the strategic council for the information society. Some 20 invited IT experts are expected to discuss the state of telecommunications in Slovenia, government to business communication and the priorities for the information society. The meeting starts at 3 PM.

LJUBLJANA - Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Digby Jones is to hold a lecture on the challenges and opportunities on the common European market at 11 AM. Jones will be received by Europe Minister Janez Potocnik at 2.30 PM. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - As part of evening panels about journalism organised by the Peace Institute, the media and minorities are to be discussed at 7 PM.

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. Scheduled for 5 PM, the panel is organised as part of the "week of the erased" by the Association of the Erased.

VIENNA, Austria - The European Handball Federation is to draw the semi-final pairs of the men's Champions League and Cup Winners' Cup competitions. Slovenian clubs will be involved in both draws. (STA)

LJUBLJANA - Press review. (STA)

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