Communist Web Tuesday 11th April 2000 9.30pm gmt First dignitaries arrive for South Summit . Rest of the heads of state and government from more than 130 countries will reach Havana between today and Tuesday VIETNAMESE President Tran Duc Luong; the prime minister of Vanuatu, Barak Tame Sope; and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen were the first three dignitaries to arrive in Havana to participate in the South Summit, which will begin sessions tomorrow and last until Friday, with the participation of some 130 countries Within the next few hours, Nigerian President Olosegun Obasanjo will arrive. Nigeria is the chairing country of the Group of 77, the negotiating body which is sponsoring this summit of the countries from the poorest and least development part of the planet. During the course of the day, Denzil Douglas, prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis; and Abderrahmane Yousseoufi, prime minister of Morocco, are scheduled to arrive. The rest of the dignitaries are expected on Monday and Tuesday. The South Summit, held April 10-14 at the International Convention Center, will begin with a meeting of high-ranking dignitaries, who will analyze the action program and the final declaration, one of whose main aspects is South-South cooperation. On Tuesday the foreign ministers' meeting be take place; they are expected to debate on the role of the United Nations in the 21st century. The South Summit itself, the first of its kind, will begin on Wednesday, April 12, with speeches by Cuban President Fidel Castro; Group of 77 President Olosegun Obasanjo; the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries President Thabo Mbeki; and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The latter will also carry out an official visit to Cuba April 11-14, at which time he will meet with... http://www.billkath.demon.co.uk/cw/firstdignitaries/firstdignitaries.html
