BEIJING, Feb. 19: Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is likely to address the fourth ministerial meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), scheduled to take place in Islamabad on April 5.

He will be the key-speaker at the foreign-minister level meeting that will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The meeting, to be participated by 26 regional countries, will discuss ways and means to further peace, security and development in the Asian region.

Official sources told APP that the Chinese government attached great importance to ACD and wished to see it an important forum for addressing issues of common interest.

It is hoped that top-level participation in the meeting by the Chinese side will help further strengthen ACD's role in the regional affairs. The third ministerial meeting held in China June last had adopted declaration on 'Asia Cooperation' on important issues relating to peace and development.

It had also provided an opportunity to Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and his Indian counterpart Natwar Singh to hold a 'one-to-one' meeting, taking a major step forward to relax tension in bilateral relations.

According to sources, the ACD, launched in 2001, reflects common aspiration of Asian countries to increase cooperation. While dealing with economic issues, its member countries in a recent meeting had proposed to form an energy forum to regularly discuss key energy aspects such as developing better energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, alternative fuels and improved energy infrastructure networks.

The meeting had also decided to intensify political dialogue, increase mutual trust and coordination on international and regional issues and work to create a "harmonious and stable" environment in the region. The ACD currently comprises countries from East to West Asia and is the first forum that aims to eventually encompass all countries in Asia.

Current member countries of the ACD are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.

Countries expected to be formally admitted to the ACD in 2005 are Iran, Mongolia, United Arab Emirates and Bhutan. The decision of the member countries to hold the meeting in Islamabad was a recognition of Pakistan's successful foreign policy, an official said. -APP