Mbeki snubs development summit

The South African President, Thabo Mbeki, is to miss a one-day summit on the New African Initiative NAI in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr Mbeki's spokesman Bheki Khumalo said that the president would not be attending the event as he had parliamentary duties to attend.

The South African leader is one of the co-authors of the NAI, an economic rescue programme for Africa which seeks to end under-development and war on the continent.

The NAI was adopted by the 53-member Organisation of African Unity OAU at a summit in July.

The meeting meeting is designed to gather the leaders of the countries that must drive its implementation.

Nigerian officials have so far confirmed that Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade, and Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo will participate.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service