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| Leaders begin arriving for North－South informal dialogue meeting |
| CCTV.COM 2003-06-01 09:06:55 |
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Leaders of some developing countries and international institutions began arriving Saturday in the Swiss city of Laussane for the North－South informal dialogue meeting scheduled to be held in Evian on Sunday ahead of the Group of Eight （G8） summit.
Because there is no major international airport in Evian, the venue of the dialogue meeting and the G8 summit, the participants would have to first arrive at the Geneva International Airport and check in Laussane before crossing the Geneva Lake by boats for Evian.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was the first to fly in Saturday, followed by United Nations Secretary－General Kofi Annan and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. South African President Thabo Mbeki was already in town Friday.
At the invitation of French President Jacques Chirac, Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to arrive late Saturday to attend the North－South informal dialogue meeting.
Apart from other G8 leaders, also invited are Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Mexican President Vicente Fox, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz al Saud, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade and President of the Swiss Confederation Pascal Couchepin. It was reported that King Mohammed VI might be absent from the meeting.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary－General Annan, World Bank President James Wolfensohn, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Kohler and World Trade Organization Director－General Supachai Panitchpakdi will also be present.
Briefing reporters in Paris on Thursday, Catherine Colonna, spokeswoman for French president, said that there were no set topics at the dialogue meeting where the participants could exchange views frankly on whatever issues.
Analysts believe that the dialogue meeting, with an unprecented massive participation of developing countries, may focus on issues such as how to narrow the North－South gap and increase economic assistance to developing countries.
After the dialogue meeting, leaders from the G8, namely France, the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia, will meet in Evian on Monday and Tuesday for their annual summit.
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Editor: Zhong Source:Xinhua
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