Leaders shift next summit for 2010 World Cup

(PANA)-- African leaders meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, have agreed to push forward their 2010 mid-year summit, due to be held in Kampala, Uganda, so it does not clash with the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first to be held in Africa, PANA reported on Tuesday.

As part of the decisions at their 31 January -2 February summit that rounds off Tuesday, the leaders approved that the summit be held late July, instead of the traditional schedule, which is the end of June to early July every year.

The preparatory meetings to the summit, the 20th ordinary session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC) and the 17th ordinary session of the Executive Council (Foreign ministers), will be held 19-20 July and 22-23 July respectively, long after the World Cup would have ended.

The 15th ordinary session of the assembly, which is the summit proper, will hold 25-27 July. The 2010 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by South Africa, is slated to kickoff on 11 June and end 11 July.

There is widespread excitement across Africa as world class footballers prepare to head to South Africa for the global football extravaganza, and political leaders - realising how football galvanises their populations - are eager to tap into the excitement.

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