Middle East, African Union summit on agenda of Annan's 3-week trip

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is set to embark on a three-week trip, during which he will attend meetings on the Middle East peace process with other members of the diplomatic Quartet, as well as address the summit of the African Union.

The Secretary-General is scheduled to leave tomorrow evening for Amman, Jordan, via Paris, according to a UN spokesman. While in Amman, he will attend a ministerial-level meeting on Sunday of the Quartet, involving the United States, European Union and Russian Federation.

The World Economic Forum will be taking place in Amman from Saturday through Monday, and the Secretary-General is expected to address the Forum on Monday afternoon. He is also scheduled to have a full programme of bilateral meetings while in the Jordanian capital.

The Secretary-General will leave on Tuesday for London, where he will have official meetings the next day, including with Prime Minister Tony Blair, and then travel to Geneva on Thursday, where he will have meetings with UN officials on Friday.

On 30 June, Mr. Annan will address the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council and have other meetings before travelling to Bern. The next day, he will pay an official visit to Switzerland, including with a meeting with the President of the Confederation in Bern.

After a short break, the Secretary-General's trip picks up on 7 July, when he is scheduled to leave Switzerland for Maputo, Mozambique, to attend the African Union Summit. He will address the meeting on 10 July, and again will have a full schedule of bilateral talks through 12 July.