High-level EU mission to visit central Africa

The highest-level delegation from the European Union (EU) will tour the central African region from 12 to 17 October, the EU announced on Thursday. The visit has been postponed twice previously. Countries to be visited include Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The delegation will include Louis Michel, the Belgian minister of foreign affairs and current president of the Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers of the EU; Javier Solana, the EU high representative for common foreign and security policy; Chris Patten, the EU commissioner for foreign affairs; Poul Nielson, the EU commissioner for development; and Aldo Ajello, the EU special representative for the Great Lakes region. Meanwhile on Wednesday, Ajello arrived in Goma, DRC, from Kisangani to meet with authorities of the Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) armed opposition movement, rebel-controlled RTNC radio in Goma reported. The visit is part of Ajello's current tour to assess the prevailing situation in the region for a report to EU ministers prior to the start of the inter-Congolese dialogue, due to begin 15 October in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.