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Annan arrives in Beirut on eve of Arab League summit

Annan arrives in Beirut on eve of Arab League summit

Kofi Annan and Amre Moussa (DPI file photo)
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today arrived in Beirut where he was scheduled to meet with the head of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, on the eve of the League’s summit.

The Secretary-General, who is scheduled to address the opening of the summit tomorrow, will also hold a number of bilateral meetings on Wednesday afternoon in the margins of the summit, according to a UN spokesman. Later in the day, he is slated to attend a dinner in honour of the heads of delegations hosted by Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.

On Thursday, the Secretary-General will meet with UN officials based in the region, including Terje Roed-Larsen, his Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, and Steffan de Mistura, Mr. Annan’s Personal Envoy for southern Lebanon.

The Secretary-General is also scheduled to meet Thursday with the Force Commanders of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), as well as with the Chief of Staff of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). In addition, he will hold a “town hall meeting” with UN staff based in Beirut.