Mubarak invited to attend African summit on Darfur

CAIRO, Oct 4, 2004 (Xinhua) — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is invited to attend a five-way African summit on Darfur to be held later this month in Libya, the official MENA news agency reported Monday.

The summit will gather the leaders of Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Chad and Nigeria, MENA quoted Egyptian presidential spokesman Maged Abdel Fattah as saying.

The spokesman said Mubarak received the invitation Monday during a meeting with visiting Nigerian Deputy Foreign Minister Abubakar Tanko who delivered to Mubarak a message from Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, also head of the African Union (AU).

The spokesman said Mubarak had accepted the invitation.

The AU has deployed some 300 soldiers to the Darfur region to protect about 150 observers, who are monitoring a ceasefire reached in April between Khartoum and Darfur rebel groups.

According to a UN report, the Darfur crisis, which began 20 months ago, has so far claimed many lives, with much more displaced.