ISLAMABAD, June 17: A high level delegation comprising members of different foreign missions in Pakistan was told here on Friday that the schedule for the Local Government elections would be announced by the acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar soon after the budget sessions in the national as well as provincial assemblies were over.

Led by Peter Wilson, the Political Counsellor of British High Commission, the delegation met with Secretary Election Commission Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad and discussed arrangements being made by the commission to hold the 2005 Local Government elections.

Mr Dilshad told the delegation that necessary arrangements for the holding of LG elections including appointment of district returning officers/returning officers and assistant returning officers and procurement of necessary election material had been completed and that the commission had set the stage for holding the elections.

He said the elections would be held in three phases, as in the first two phases, direct elections to union councils would be held, while in the third phase indirect elections to zila, tehsils/town councils will be held.

Citing the statement of the acting CEC, the secretary said international observers would be welcomed to monitor the elections and that a detailed briefing would also be arranged in this respect.

Other members of the delegation comprised Deputy Head of Mission Embassy of Belgium, Christophe Payot, Deputy Head of Mission Embassy of Spain, Vicente Fosa Mas Taladriz, First Secretary (Political) Royal Netherlands Embassy, Heleen van der Beek, Counsellor/Director Political Department Embassy of Japan Hideki Ishizuka and Deputy Head of Mission Embassay of the Federal Republic of Germany Christoph Sander.