The 15th general assembly of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) opened in the ancient city of Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Monday.

More than 1,000 experts and representatives from 85 countries around the world  attended the five-day meeting for an exchange of views on new challenges in heritage protection and ways to solve them.

Topics including protection of relic sites in fast-changing urban and rural areas, environment and vulnerability of environment around relics sites will be the focus of attention at the conference.

The conference is expected to sum up the work of ICOMOS in the past three years, draft a plan for the next three years and adopt the Xi'an Declaration on protection of relics sites and their environment. Celebrations marking the 40th founding anniversary of ICOMOS will also be held.

A forum on China's principles for relics sites protection will be staged in the conference period. The forum will present participants China's concept, experience, technologies, and achievements in relics protection, said Zhang, who is also chairman of ICOMOS China.

The general assembly of ICOMOS is held every three years. The first conference was held in Poland in 1965.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2005)