President Kufuor arrives home after G-8 Summit

President John Agyekum Kufuor, Chairman of the African Union has returned home after attending the G-8 Summit and visiting Geneva and Paris.

President Kufuor attended the 33rd Summit of the world's most industrialised nations, the Group of Eight (G-8) from June 6 to June 8 2007.

In Geneva President Kufuor addressed the 96th Conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

He also met with President Nicholas Sarkozy of France in Paris.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD, in a press briefing at the Kotoka International Airport, described President Kufuor's trip as very successful.

He said the G-8 Leaders promised 60 million dollars for the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa.

The Summit brought together United States (US) President George Bush; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; Russian President Vladimir Putin; French President Nicolas Sarkozy; United Kingdom Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair; Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi; Japanese Prime Minister Mr Shinzo Abe and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Six Leaders from Africa, including President Kufuor; South African President Thabo Mbeki; Nigerian President Umar Musa Yar´dua; Algerian President Abdul Aziz Bouteflika; Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade; Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and African Union (AU) Commission President Omar Alpha Konare, were also invited to the meeting.

During President Kufuor's visit to Paris President Sarkozy expressed the view that Africa did not need to be seen strictly as being either Francophone or Anglophone but that what he saw to be most important was how best France could forge good relations with Africa, Nana Akufo Addo said.

Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Ministers of State and the top brass of the security services were at the Airport to meet President Kufuor, who was away for a week.

Source: GNA