Mills expected in Libya for third Africa-EU summit

From Benjamin Mensah, GNA Special Correspondent, Tripoli, Libya

Tripoli (Libya), Nov 28, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills would be in Tripoli, Libya's largest and capital city, for the third Africa-European Summit, which opens on Monday.

The two-day Summit, on the theme: "Investment, Economic Growth and Job Creation," would address key issues of Peace and Security, Climate Change, Regional Integration, Private Sector Development, Infrastructure and Energy. Economic co-operation, Millennium Development Goals, Agriculture and Food Security and Migration are also on the agenda.

The Summit, to be chaired jointly by Malawian President Bingu Wa Matharika and Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, is bringing about 80 leaders, heads of states and governments from the African Union and the European Union.

It would provide the two blocs and continents the opportunity to reaffirm and strengthen their strategic relationship through discussions on key thematic issues of common interest.

Described as, "the most important political event within the EU-Africa relations framework", the Summit is taking place in an intense political agenda being held two months after the UN Millennium Development Goals High Level Meeting in New York and the Cancun Conference on Climate Change, which takes place from November 29 to December 10.

The meeting would focus on the adoption of the Second Action Plan (2011-2013) that would help the two sides to open perspectives for better and more prosperous future for the 1.5 billion populations in Africa and Europe.

Sources close to the Summit say there would be high level participation of observers from the European Investment Bank and the United Nations among other organization with direct interactions between heads of the private sector on the margins of the summit.

A number of sideline events on Business and Investment, Higher Education, Governance, Training for Better Food and Infrastructural Development and other issues have been planned. The first summit was held in Cairo, Egypt in 2000, and the second, in Lisbon, Portugal in 2007.