Agenda wrangle in landmark summit

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe will hold talks in Cairo with UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook

African and European Union leaders have been gathering in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to prepare for the first-ever EU-Africa summit, which opens on Monday.

Correspondents say the summit has grown out of mutual desire to sweep away the residue of the colonial past and to create a new strategic partnership.

But there has been disagreement about priorities on the summit agenda.

European governments want to emphasise the importance of good government, and the obstacles corruption and war place in the way of development.

African leaders want to talk about access to European markets and debt relief.

Security in the Egyptian capital is very tight, for what one police officer has described as "the most important gathering ever to take place" in the country.

Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir flies in

Among those attending the 67-nation summit is Libya's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who will be sitting at the table with European leaders for the first time in many years after handing over suspects for the Lockerbie bombing trial.

Talks will also take place on the sidelines between the UK Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, and the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, on the recent political violence in Harare.

After talks between Foreign Ministers on Sunday agreement has already been reached on the summit's final communique.

It calls among other things for the return of stolen African cultural artefacts.

It also backs efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, but Egypt's proposal to call for a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East - including Israel was excluded from the draft after meeting strong opposition from Germany.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama said agreement had been reached to set up a permanent committee of senior officials and to hold a follow-up summit in 2003.

Debt and trade

Africa's external debt has mushroomed by 12% per year since 1980, and though Europe has been helping, Africa says it must do more.

"The central issue for discussion in this meeting is the African debt," said the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, Salim Ahmed Salim.

European officials, however, have remained adamant that questions of debt should be dealt with in other forums, such as the Paris Club of creditor nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

Other African leaders have emphasised the need to increase trade between Africa and Europe.

The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, told the BBC: "The most fundamental human right is to be treated equally ... free trade is the key to many other things."

Africa's share of international trade has reduced in recent years - a fact which some African leaders say is causing the continent to lag even further behind the rest of the world economy.