/ 8 June 2000

MBEKI SUMMITS IN DENMARK

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki met Danish lawmakers in Copenhagen on Wednesday ahead of talks with Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and a brief summit with other Nordic leaders. Mbeki, who arrived in Denmark Tuesday accompanied by Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and his wife, Zanele Mbeki, with Queen Margrethe II. Mbeki will also hold meetings with Danish business leaders and other government officials prior to a dinner hosted by Rasmussen. On Thursday, Mbeki travels to a site on the northern tip of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula where he is scheduled to hold summit talks with the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden and Finland and the foreign minister of Iceland. Officials said earlier this month that Mbeki sought to emphasize to leaders in northern Europe his country’s need for international assistance in order to ensure sound economic and social development. He is scheduled to leave Denmark on Thursday.