LAGOS, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- A meeting of the foreign ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is underway on Friday in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, ahead of next week's regional summit.

    The meeting chaired by Nigeria's Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe is to discuss some reports and prepare the agenda for the summit, a statement reaching here said.

    The meeting is also to receive the 9th instrument of ratification by the government of Benin of the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their Ammunition and Other Related Materials.

    The instrument had already been ratified by Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.