President Mbeki, Accompanied by Minster Dlamini Zuma to Attend High Level Meeting on the Ivory Coast, Accra, Ghana Thursday, 29 July 2004

Ghana - South African President Thabo Mbeki, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, is expected in Accra, Ghana on Thursday, 29 July 2004 to attend a High Level Meeting to discuss the situation in Côte d'Ivoire.

The meeting in Ghana hopes to secure a commitment of all parties to a political settlement with a view to extricating Côte d'Ivoire from the current political crisis and thus lay a firm basis for sustainable development in the best interests of the people of the country.

The Accra meeting is part of a series of meetings organised under the aegis of ECOWAS aimed at bringing about the dawn of peace and stability to the West African country.

In this regard, South Africa, under the leadership of President Mbeki has been part of efforts by the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) and the AU to help bring about a political resolution t the crisis. South Africa is also the current Chairperson of the continental Peace and Security Council.

The meeting will also be attended by: Presidents Blaise Compaoré, Laurent Gbagbo, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, Amadou Toumani Touré and Olusegan Obasanjo of Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Mali and Nigeria respectively including Alpha Konaré, Chairperson of the AU Commission.

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa 082 990 4853

Department of Foreign Affairs

Private Bag X152

Pretoria

0001

27 July 2004