President Thabo Mbeki is to address the 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
Mbeki is leading the South African delegation to New York, which includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, her deputy director general George Nene and South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Dumisani Kumalo.
Mbeki is expected to hold bilateral discussions with, among others, European Union secretary general Xavier Solana and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on Monday.
He is also expected to meet with Israeli Vice-Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni.
Dlamini-Zuma was scheduled to hold several bilateral consultations with her counterparts on Monday.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said she was to meet her Italian counterpart Massiml D’ Alema and World Food Programme deputy executive secretary Sheila Sisulu.
She would then attend a joint India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) meeting with China and Mexico, followed by a meeting of the IBSA foreign ministers.
The inaugural session of the IBSA heads of state and government was held in Brasilia, Brazil last week. — Sapa