17/8/02 9:27 AM


United States President George W Bush will not attend the UN World
Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, and will instead send
Secretary of State Colin Powell to lead the US delegation,
officials said on Friday.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a
formal White House announcement on the composition of the US
delegation is expected shortly, but that Bush had already decided
to send Powell in his place.

The summit runs from August 24 until September
4. Powell is expected to attend only the final two days of the
meeting, the officials said.

The next most senior US official planning to be at the summit is
Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, who
will likely attend for a longer period of time than Powell, the
officials said.

Powell is expected to visit at least two other African countries
as part of the trip, possibly Angola and Gabon, they added.

-- AFP

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