Coming out of the meeting of the executive committee, its chairman Bob Speller said: "We discussed a broad outline of the CPA conference agenda."

"Besides, your speaker, who is also the president of the 49th conference, briefed about the overall planning," he told journalists at Sonargaon Hotel where the meeting was held.

About the agenda, Bob said, "It includes, among other things, governance in CPA member countries, role of MPs, rights of women MPs, orientation for new members, holding of seminars and discussions on current world affairs."

Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar, who attended the meeting, told reporters that he was hopeful of holding a very successful conference.

Sircar said the conference would focus on world peace and security.

The CPA executive committee will also meet at the same venue today to further discuss the conference agenda.

Fee exemption for tiny nations

Observers from small countries with populations between 1,200 and 4 lakh have been exempted from paying US$ 3,000 in registration and hotel fees to attend the CPA conference.

However, non-invitee observers from Nigeria, not a small country by the CPA definition, continued to arrive in Dhaka and most of them pleaded for fee exemption.

Of the 15 Nigerians who arrived in Dhaka until yesterday from two state assemblies, two were invited delegates and the rest observers.

Refusing to pay the fees, four of the observers left Dhaka yesterday, two will return home today and the rest the next day.

The fee exemption facilities will be enjoyed by observers from as many as 40 small countries under the CPA grouping.

President of the 49th CPA conference Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar said the exemption proposal came from the CPA headquarters yesterday.