Obama to meet African leaders in New York

(Pana) New York, US – US President Barack Obama will meet some African leaders on the sidelines of next week’s UN General Assembly, US envoy to the UN Susan Rice said on Wednesday.

Rice, who made this known in New York, said the meeting would principally be with UN troop contributing countries.

She also said that the forum would afford Obama and the African leaders the opportunity to deliberate on economic and social development issues affecting Africa.

The US ambassador noted that not all countries in Africa have been invited to the lunch meeting, saying ‘this meeting is not for all African leaders, but for those contributing to UN efforts to global peace and security’.

Rice disclosed that Obama will also attend the high-level UN climate change summit on 22 September and address at the opening of the General Assembly’s general debate on 23 September.

She also said that the American leader will chair a high-level UN Security Council meeting on disarmament and controlling the spread of nuclear weapons on 24 September.

She said Obama’s meeting with major troop and police contributing countries was an opportunity for the president to recognise the ‘often largely unheralded contributions’ of countries that ‘are doing essential work to build peace and security in fragile situations’.

‘President Obama is looking very much forward to his first visit to the UN General Assembly, to chairing, for the first time ever by an American president, an important session in the UN Security Council on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and his other meetings.

‘This is an opportunity for the United States to underscore the value we see in this institution, as well as to highlight areas where we hope and expect its performance can be improved."

The African leaders expected at the meeting include the presidents of Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, South Africa, Rwanda and Senegal.

Also, leaders from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Jordan, Italy, Uruguay and China would participate in the meeting as major UN troop contributing countries.

Pana