Johannesburg  - South Africa's new political party, the Congress of the People (COPE), began its inaugural conference Sunday with promises to reform the electoral system and improve public services if victorious in next year's general elections.

COPE was founded by a group of former members of the ruling African National Congress, who quit the party after the ANC dumped Thabo Mbeki as president in September.

At its three-day conference in the southern city of Bloemfontein, thousands of COPE delegates, led by firebrand former ANC chairman Mosiuoa Lekota, are expected to hammer out a party manifesto. Bloemfontein, capital of Free State province, is also where the ANC was founded nearly 100 years ago, in 1912.

Brussels  - Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen confirmed on Friday that Ireland will hold a second referendum on the EU reform, or Lisbon, treaty in 2009, having received assurances at the EU summit in Brussels that Ireland will retain its commissioner.

Ireland, which rejected the Lisbon treaty in a referendum in June, has been under pressure to hold a second vote, and has held that the country must retain its EU commissioner despite a plan to reduce the size of the Brussels commission, in exchange for a second referendum.

Brussels  - French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrapped up his six-month stint as European Union chairman Friday with a brilliant diplomatic juggling act at the bloc's end-of-year summit in Brussels.

Mediating through 14 hours of tough negotiations with his 26 EU colleagues, "speedy" Sarkozy succeeded in sealing a landmark deal on climate change, brokered a massive economic recovery plan and ended six months of institutional deadlock by convincing Ireland to hold a fresh referendum on the reforming Lisbon Treaty.

Podgorica - Montenegro will begin the process of applying for membership of the European Union on Monday, local media reported Friday.

"Montenegro believes in European ideals" and this decision is the "beginning of most important and demanding phase that precedes the full membership of Montenegro in the European Union, " the government said in a statement.

Montenegro will hand in its application in Paris during the meeting of Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Taipei - Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian was expected to be indicted on corruption charges Friday afternoon, becoming the first Taiwanese leader to be charged.

The Supreme Prosecutor's Office announced it will hold a news conference at 3:15 pm (0715GMT), and it is expected to announce the indictment of Chen and possibly members of his family.

Taiwan press said the indictment document is 800 pages, and Chen is likely to be indicted on four charges of corruption, which could result in 30 years imprisonment or a life term.