Serious lack of coordination in delegates' arrival, lodging and food and dissemination of information to the media continued to mar the conference.

But putting on a brave face, president of the conference Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar said everything was going on accordingly.

Vice-patron of the CPA, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is scheduled to officially launch the conference at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre at 11:30 am tomorrow.

With the Awami League's final 'no' to attend, the CPA is holding the first-ever conference without the host nation's opposition in a break with its 92-year history.

Sircar said the name of the opposition leader had already been printed in the invitation cards of the official inaugural programme and she could still come and speak.

Following CPA working party's meeting on Saturday, the executive committee of the grouping met at Sonargaon Hotel and the two-day CPA Small Countries' Conference opened at Sheraton Hotel yesterday.

On the mismanagement, participants, observers and mediapersons said there was no publication of the conference bulletin as planned earlier, no official press briefing, no media cell to feed the press and no booth for the officials of the Press Information Department.

The organisers could not properly handle the accommodation of foreign observers, particularly those who arrived ahead of schedule and provide food for unspecified people on short notices.

Many of the 1,600 expected invitees to the official launch were yet to get invitation cards until last night. Most press cards for journalists were issued late and with misspelled names and designations.

The CPA Small Countries' Conference opened at Sheraton Hotel half an hour behind schedule.

When Sircar okayed the beginning of the meet with recitation from the holy Quran, there was no designated person to recite.

The officials hurried a staff of the parliament secretariat onto the dais, but there was none to translate the Arabic verses into English for the understanding of foreign delegates.

Various figures were given by different officials on the number of countries participating in the Small Countries' Conference, creating a haze of confusion.

During inauguration, Sircar put the numbers of countries and delegates at 31 and 62, while the public relations department of the Jatiya Sangsad secretariat gave the figures of 28 and 61. The conference chairman said 22 countries and 43 delegates participated in the conference before the CPA headquarters' officials stepped into the scene to confirm the participation of 39 delegates and five officials representing 20 countries.

On the problems of gathering information, Sircar said: "We'll not give any information officially, there'll be no briefing. Newsmen have to gather information on their own. You can get information from CPA headquarters officials."

As for non-publication of the conference bulletin, he advised journalists to contact the media sub-committee of the conference headed by BNP lawmaker Mahbubur Rahman.

He also advised the press to inquire about the lack of coordination from Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui.

On difficulties faced by delegates and observers, the speaker said three whips and six MPs and many volunteers were doing everything possible to make the guests comfortable.

On serving food on short notices, Sircar said it was nothing peculiar for an international conference.

Certain level of mismanagement is common for any international conference, he said, adding programme rescheduling was also there in the UN conferences.

CPA Executive Committee Chairman Bob Speller, however, did not make any comment on mismanagement.

The CPA Desk, set up at Sheraton Hotel, was also reluctant to even give the basic information, terming those 'confidential'.

Meanwhile, taking their time off the conference, many delegates along with their spouses went round the tourist spots in Dhaka.

About 300 delegates reached Dhaka until yesterday and at least 197 more are expected to come today. According to officials, 535 delegates and observers from national and regional parliaments of 48 countries are due to join the conference.

Today's schedule includes holding of CPA executive committee meeting, Small Countries' Conference, steering committee meeting of Commonwealth women parliamentarians and a dinner in honour of women parliamentarians and their spouses to be hosted by CWP Chairperson and Women and Children Affairs Minister Khurshid Jahan Haque.