By EDITH M. LEDERER (AP) – 18 hours ago
.
UNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama will host a lunch for leaders from sub-Saharan Africa during next week’s ministerial meeting of the U.N. General Assembly to promote economic and social development, the U.S. ambassador announced Monday.
Susan Rice said the president will also host a meeting on the sidelines of the ministerial session with countries that contribute the largest number of police and troops to the U.N.’s far-flung peacekeeping operations.
These events are in addition to Obama’s attendance at a U.N. summit on climate change on Tuesday, his address at the opening of the General Assembly’s ministerial meeting on Wednesday, and his chairing of a high-level Security Council meeting on disarmament and controlling the spread of nuclear weapons on Thursday.
Rice said not all countries in sub-Saharan Africa have been invited to the lunch because it is for heads of state and government and “we are looking to have a dialogue with responsible leaders about the future of Africa’s economic and social development.”
Obama, whose late father was from Kenya, has not visited Africa since his inauguration in January.
But Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who made a seven-nation tour of Africa in August, noted that while she was promoting trade between African producers and the U.S., Africans should not overlook their own continent, with a population estimated at 800 million.
Rice said Obama’s meeting with major police and troop contributing countries was an opportunity for the president to recognize the “often largely unheralded contributions” of countries that “are doing essential work to build peace and security in fragile situations.”
Those countries include Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Nepal, Rwanda, Egypt, Jordan, Ghana, Ethiopia, Italy, Uruguay, Senegal, South Africa and China.
The Associated Press.
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
– – –
From: Judy Miriga
Date: Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 4:14 PM
Subject: Obama to meet African leaders at UN