Accra, April 22, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday left Accra for Cotonou, Benin to attend a day's Heads of State Preparatory Meeting ahead of the pending African Union Session to be held in July. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mr Kwabena Agyepong, Presidential Spokesperson, accompanied him.

Briefing newsmen at the Airport, Mr Agyepong said the meeting is expected to focus on social welfare and labour and would also be attended by the AU Chairman Joachim Cheisano, who is also the President of Mozambique.

He said President Olusengu Obasanjo of Nigeria; President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso; President Nyasingbe Eyadema of Togo and President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote D'Ivoire were expected to attend the meeting.

At the airport to see off the President was Mr Annan Cato, Secretary to the Cabinet and Air Force Commander, Air Vice Marshall Eddy Mantey.

President Kufuor arrives in Cotonou for AU Meeting

From: Patrick A. Firempong, GNA Special Correspondent, Cotonou.

Cotonou, April 22; GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor arrived in Cotonou, Benin on Thursday to attend the African Union (AU) Labour and Social Affairs Commission Meeting.

The Beninois President Mathieu Kerekou was at the Airport to meet him after which he inspected a guard of honour mounted by a contingent of the Beninois Army.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, accompanied President Kufuor.

The AU Labour and Social Affairs Commission deals with all issues relating to labour, employment, migration and children.

The Commission meets once a year and this year's meeting is being held also as one of the preparatory meetings towards the Extra-Ordinary Summit on Employment and Poverty Alleviation scheduled for Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso in September.

President Kufuor, who is also the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is among some African Heads of State invited to address the meeting and share their perspectives on the forthcoming Summit in Burkina Faso.

Issues to be discussed at the Cotonou Meeting include, Social Policy Framework for Africa to structure a framework that would give the necessary priority to social issues.

Migration Policy on the framework to be presented to the ministerial meeting on voluntary and involuntary migration, brain drain and issues on the Family, view of this year being the United Nations (UN) Conference on the 10th anniversary of the Family.

Africa is expected to provide a common stand on the Family at the Conference.

The meeting, which began on April 19, is expected to end on April 24 with the Ministerial meeting of Ministers of Labour, Employment and Social Issues on Friday, April 23 to Saturday, April 24.

Mr Yaw Barimah, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment, is already in Cotonou to participate in the meeting. 22 April 04