Southern African leaders meet

Southern African leaders are gathering in Malawi for an annual regional summit which is expected to focus on the fights against Aids and poverty.

Discussions during the three days of talks are also likely to deal with the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, as well as the situation in Zimbabwe.

Ahead of the summit, South African President Thabo Mbeki ruled out the imposition of South African sanctions against Zimbabwe, saying that continuing dialogue was the best way to resolve Zimbabwe's problems.

The representatives of the Southern African Development Community meeting in Blantyre are also to push ahead with internal reforms aimed at improving the organisation's ability to respond to crises in the region.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service