The central government delegation headed by senior leader Luo Gan attended a meeting held in Urumqi on Thursday to listen to the government work report of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Luo, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, confirmed the achievements Xinjiang made in the past 50 years, saying that the progress represents a "great victory" of CPC's ethnic policies and the system of regional ethnic autonomy.

He encouraged local officials to continue carrying out the Party's ethnic policies to strengthen national solidarity and resolutely combat separatists, religious extremists and terrorists.

He also demanded local governments to stick to and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy and implement the Law on Regional Autonomy for China's Minority Nationalities to address issues of public concern.

Deputy heads of the delegation, including Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu and Vice-Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Ismail Amat,Vice-Chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee Liu Yandong and Abdul'ahat Abdulrixit, and Li Jinai, member of the Central Military Commission, also attended the meeting. The delegation also attended a forum with personages of all walks in Xinjiang .

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2005)