President to address Summit today

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is in Bolivia to attend the Group of 77 plus China Summit, was due to meet UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon late Saturday evening.

The summit was inaugurated yesterday in Santa Cruz and the President is due to address the leaders this evening.

Twenty seven Presidents, three Vice Presidents and four Prime Ministers are expected to attend the G77 + China Summit, the Lusaka Times reported.

Bolivian President Eva Morales has also invited Russia for the meeting and according to Russian News Agency, ITAR TASS, a team is expected to arrive from Russia. If Russia is included, it would be called G77 plus China and Russia. The G77 membership which stands at 133 was named after the number of members at its inauguration in 1964.

It is the largest inter-governmental organisation of developing countries within the UN system, which promotes South to South and South to North cooperation. MF