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SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT MR THABO MBEKI TO ADDRESS AFRICAN DIASPORA IN BRUSSELS, 15 NOV
13 November 2004
South African President Mr Thabo Mbeki's official visit from 15 - 17 November 2004 to the European institutions and Belgium will kick off on 15 November 2004 with a meeting with the African Diaspora in Belgium and Europe. The President will address the Diaspora and urge them to contribute to the rebirth of the African continent, e.g. by actively participating in NEPAD programmes and projects.
Representatives of Diaspora organisations from across the African continent are invited to actively participate in the conference. Given Belgium's unique ties with and commitments in the Great Lakes Region, a substantial number of the participants in the conference will be from that African region. President Mbeki will be the keynote speaker at the conference and he will call upon the African Diaspora to enlist their efforts into the continental and indeed international efforts to bring about Africa's Renaissance.
The President will call upon the participants to formulate their own proposals on how they believe they can contribute to the projects and programmes of the New Partnership for Africa's Development and promote peace, stability and democracy. These proposals are to result in a Plan of Action for Diaspora participation in the New Partnership for Africa's Development.
The meeting will take place on 15 November 2004 from 14:30 to 16:00 at the ING Conference Centre, Rue du Trone, B-1050 Brussels. It is organised by a co-ordinating committee consisting of the ACP Group of States, the African Union Permanent Mission in Brussels, the International Organisation for Migration and the South African Embassy in Brussels.
For more information, please contact: Mr Saul Pele
Counsellor, South African Embassy to Belgium and Luxembourg and Mission to European Communities
Tel: +32 (0)2 285 4400
Cell: +32 (0)497 05 6655
Fax: +32 (0)2 285 4402
Issued by: The Presidency on behalf of SA Embassy to Belgium & Luxembourg & Mission to European Communities, Brussels
13 November 2004
Source: SAPA