Mbeki to attend G8 Africa in Japan

The session would have to accept or reject the Africa Action Plan

President Thabo Mbeki would attend the Africa Outreach three-day session of the Group of Eight (G8) summit held in Hokkaido in Japan, the Department of Foreign Affairs said today.

Spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said Mbeki would leave South Africa today and would be joined by Environment and Tourism Minister Martinus van Schalkwyk.

At the three-day session Mbeki was expected to encourage the implementation of past G8 commitments to Africa and renewed commitment to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

He was also expected to encourage adequate and effective responses to address the challenges of food and energy security in Africa.

Mamoepa says South Africa would seek to consolidate North-South relations with a view to fast-tracking the developmental agenda of the South.

The session would have to accept or reject the Africa Action Plan, agreed to at the 2002 Kananaskis G8 Summit in Canada, as the framework for engagement between the G8 nations and Africa.

The president was expected to encourage the G8 to fully implement the Africa Action Plan as well as to revitalise the implementation mechanism of the Africa Action Plan. - Sapa