China's foreign minister is set to speak Friday to the Munich Security Conference, the first time such a high-ranking official from his country has addressed the prestigious gathering, DPA reported.

But even as speculation swells about what Yang Jeichi will tell the attendees about the Chinese outlook on security, observers gathered in Munich were also wondering about the specifics of a last- minute addition to the schedule: a "night owl" session between Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.

Mottaki only announced his plans to attend the conference Friday. The decision comes a week after he opted not to attend an international conference in London about the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

A likely topic will be a recent reversal by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his country's nuclear programme.

After months of opposing the plan, Ahmadinejad said on Iranian television Tuesday night that he is ready to send low-enriched uranium abroad for further processing.

His country's aspirations to enrich that fuel on its own has made many nations suspicious that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons programme, which Iran denies.

Also Friday will be a panel discussion on resource security including Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Debate is likely to focus on various oil and gas projects being considered to allow Europe access to fuel from other sources than Russia.

The conference, which extends through Sunday, will also include panels on nuclear disarmament, Middle East peace, NATO's future role and ongoing operations in Afghanistan.

High-level attendees include Afghan President Hamid Karzai, German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, and former US presidential candidate Senator John Kerry.