The Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) is ready to open in Beijing Friday, officials with the meeting's secretariat said in Beijing Thursday.

Most of the representatives have arrived in Beijing Thursday for the conference which will last for three days, the officials said.

More than 80 political parties from 34 countries are attending the meeting, with delegates from the Socialist International, the African National Congress of South Africa and the South African Communist Party as observers.

Those who have arrived include Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is also president of the Lakas-National Union of Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas CMD), Jose De Venecia, chairman of the Lakas CMD, Thai Prime Minister and President of the Thai Rak Thai party Thaksin Shinawatra, Cambodian Prime Minister and Vice Chairman of the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen, President of the Revolutionary Front for Independence of East Timor and Speaker of East Timorese Constituent Assembly Francisco Guterres.

Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of the FUNCINPEC party and president of the Cambodian National Assembly, Assistant Secretary General of Syrian Baath Arab Socialist party Abdulla al-Ahmar, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party Secretariat Vu Khoan, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and member of Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Commission Somsawat Lengsavad, and Pak Yong Sok, chairman of the Inspection Committee of Workers' Party of the Democratic people's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have also arrived in Beijing.

The participants, some of whom are leaders of state, government and parliament, will make working visits to China and hold talks with Chinese leaders on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

The ICAPP was initiated in 2000 and the first two conferences were held in the Philippines and Thailand in September 2000 and November 2002.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2004)