Mbeki about turn on Abuja launch

The South African President, Thabo Mbeki, is travelling to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, where he will attend a summit on Tuesday for the formal launch of the New African Initiative.

Mr Mbeki is an architect of the Initiative which was drawn up with the presidents of Algeria, Nigeria and Senegal.

The Initiative is an economic rescue programme for Africa which aims to end underdevelopment and war on the continent and present a united front to the outside world.

Mr Mbeki and other African leaders have been enlisting support for it, winning endorsement from the European Union and the G8 group of industrialised nations.

Mr Mbeki had not been expected to attend the summit because of parliamentary commitments, but his spokesman said that he could now fulfill them and go to Abuja.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service