Mbeki to attend funeral
2004-06-08 17:06
Johannesburg - President Thabo Mbeki will attend former United States president Ronald Reagan's funeral on Friday in Washington DC, presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said on Tuesday.
"He will pay tribute to the man and the people of the United States," Khumalo said from Washington.
Mbeki would be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and South Africa's ambassador to Washington, Barbara Masekela.
The president would arrive in Washington DC on Tuesday evening, US time.
On Wednesday, Mbeki planned to speak to the Council on Foreign Relations, an organisation which tries to understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the US and other governments.
He would also meet the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) council - a group of African intellectuals living in the United States who wish to help Africa and Nepad.
Mbeki and five other African leaders will attend a special working lunch on Thursday as part of the Group of Eight summit, currently underway in the United States.
The leaders would discuss economic development, disease, and security at the meeting being held on Sea Island, off the coast of Georgia.
- SAPA