The 12th annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) will promote understanding and friendship between countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Yasuhiro Nakasone, former Japanese Prime Minister and current APPF chairman, said in Beijing Sunday. 

At a meeting of the APPF executive committee presided by Yasuhiro Nakasone, Lu Congmin, director in charge of organization of the annual meeting and vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress outlined preparations.

Lu said 232 participants from 23 APPF member countries had registered for the annual meeting, including four speakers, four deputy speakers, 75 members of parliament, over 100 consultants and parliamentary staff and 42 diplomats from the 19 member countries.

By Sunday evening, delegations from 12 countries had submitted 39 draft resolutions and five amendments on issues such as international and regional security, Lu said.

The executive committee meeting also discussed the selection of a new APPF chairman and the agenda of the annual meeting, scheduled to open on Jan. 12.

Yasuhiro Nakasone has been chairman of the forum since January 1993 when the APPF was established in Tokyo. 

(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2004)