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Annan in Paris for Africa-France Summit, meetings with African leaders

Annan in Paris for Africa-France Summit, meetings with African leaders

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with several African leaders in Paris today, including South African President Thabo Mbeki and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, to discuss top world and regional issues.

In the French capital to address the Africa-France Summit, where he urged the international community to help Africa deal with the scourge of HIV/AIDS, the Secretary-General participated in the meeting’s first working session on political partnership, security and peace, according to a UN spokesperson in New York.

He then had a private meeting with President Mbeki to discuss the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) before participating in an afternoon working session of the Summit on partnership and development priorities.

Afterwards he discussed Iraq with President Mubarak, including the need for Baghdad to accept its obligation to disarm and work proactively with UN inspectors to get the job done urgently. Both leaders emphasized the Security Council’s central role and the need for the inspectors to press ahead with their important work.

This evening, Mr. Annan is slated to meet with Presidents Mbeki, Joseph Kabila of the DRC and Paul Kagame of Rwanda for talks on the status of the DRC peace process.

He is then to attend a dinner hosted by French President Jacques Chirac in honour of the heads of delegation attending the Summit.