Asian Parliament holds executive council meeting in Manila

A total of 60 delegates from 20 Asian countries Monday attended the executive council of the AsianParliaments for Peace (APP) in Manila.

As APP president, Philippine House Speaker Jose de Venecia is expected to finalize agenda of the body's next general assembly and re-emphasize the theme of peace in the region.

In the one-day meeting, heads of delegations will separately deliver their statements and Pakistan, the host country of the next APP General Assembly later this year, is expected to report on its preparations.

The delegates are also scheduled to make a courtesy call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the presidential palace.

At the fourth APP General Assembly last September in Manila, participants draw up the Manila Declaration, which includes visionof a hundred years of peace in Asia and proposals for regional economic and political integration.

The executive council is composed of the APP president, vice-president, and one member from each country.

The parliaments represented in the meeting are from Bangladesh,Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, South Korea, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan and Vietnam.

Source: Xinhua