Following UN-Iraq talks in Vienna, Annan to visit South Africa, Nigeria and the Sudan

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, will travel to three African countries next week following his high-level talks with Iraqi officials in Vienna, set to open on 4 July.

After two days of talks with officials from Baghdad in the Austrian capital, Mr. Annan will head to Durban, South Africa, “where he will attend the Summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)” on 8 and 9 July, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters in New York.

The Secretary-General will then begin his official visits to Nigeria and the Sudan, arriving in Abuja on 10 July and Khartoum two days later before returning to New York on 14 July.

While in Vienna at the outset of his trip, Mr. Annan will build on previous rounds of talks held with senior Iraqi officials in New York on 7 March and from 1 to 3 May. Those talks aim to foster Iraq’s compliance with relevant Security Council resolutions, including the return of UN weapons inspectors to the country.