The autumn session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, scheduled to commence in the southern Adriatic city of Dubrovnik on Friday, will be the largest international meeting ever held in Croatia, according to the number of participants, Croatian Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic said in Zagreb on Wednesday, adding that the event will be attended by some 500 people, including 230 parliamentarians, from nearly all 56 OSCE member states.

Addressing a news conference held ahead of the autumn session, Bebic said the Croatian Parliament was honoured to be the host and co-organiser of the four-day event in Dubrovnik.

Bebic said the session in Dubrovnik would focus on "Regional Development of Southeast Europe - Challenges, Possibilities and Prospects". He also announced the holding of the OSCE Permanent Committee and the Forum on the Mediterranean which is expected to draw attention because of the announced participation of Tunisia and Libya, the countries that underwent major political changes over the past year.

The head of the Croatian delegation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Tonino Picula said the autumn meeting of the European umbrella security organisation were important not only in political but also in logistics terms.

He recalled that Croatia joined OSCE in 1992 and that OSCE opened its field mission in Zagreb in 1996 which for 11 years monitored the internal development of the democratisation of Croatia.

In 2007, the mission was replaced by the OSCE Office which, according to Picula, is expected to be closed by the of this year.

The opening ceremony of the international meeting in Dubrovnik is scheduled to be addressed by Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.