An UN-sponsored international emergency meeting on avian influenza control in animals in Asia opened in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, calling for closer cooperation to fight the disease amid reports of new outbreaks in some Asian countries.  

The FAO/OIE Emergency Regional Meeting on Avian Influenza Control in Animals in Asia was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), Japan Livestock Technology Association (JLTA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand.

The three-day conference brought together the national chief veterinary officers, delegates to the OIE of 22 Asian countries and around 15 countries from other regions of the world.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2004)