15 Heads of State to Attend Anti-Racism ConferenceAt least 15 foreign heads of state, mostly from Africa, are expected to attend the upcoming World Conference Against Racism in Durban, the South African Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.Ministry spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said the leaders include Cuban President Fidel Castro, Palestinian National Authority leader Yasser Arafat, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Joseph Kabila, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Bosnia and Herzegovina President Joso Krizanovic, Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and Zambia's President Frederick Chiluba. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Cape Verde's President Pedro Pires, Latvia's President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Panama's President Dominador Kayser Bazan, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and Togo's President Gnassingbe Eyadema will also travel to Durban to attend the conference, Mamoepa said. The conference, which begins on Friday and lasts till September 7, will be at ministerial level and the presence of leaders will be the "cherry on the cake", he said. Among other prominent participants will be United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, his Commonwealth counterpart Don McKinnon and President of the U.N. General Assembly Harri Holkeri, Mamoepa said. But the list could still be subject to change, he added. South Africa, as host country, will field a 75-strong team, including President Thabo Mbeki, Deputy President Jacob Zuma, Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and other senior cabinet ministers. |
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