Sharm el-Sheikh - The summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held every three years, is set to open later this morning in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, with representatives from 118 member nations.
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, who will be accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, will also be in attendance.
South Africa became a member of NAM in 1994 and participates in its meetings within the context of promoting South-South cooperation and advancing the interests of the developing countries on the global stage.
The 15th NAM Summit convenes under the theme "International Solidarity for Peace and Development", and is expected to focus on the international solidarity for peace and development, disarmament, climate change, human rights, rule of law and the financial economic crisis among others.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement that the international financial crisis and its impact on the members of the Movement and the means to deal with the situation will come under discussion.
There will also be talks on the sidelines of the meeting between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, who are both NAM members.
A number of significant meetings have been scheduled on the sidelines of the summit, including one between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India.
Cuban President, Raul Castro, is scheduled to address the opening session of the summit on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday over 100 foreign ministers or their representatives NAM summit closed their two-day meeting after adopting various draft documents.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said at a press conference after the meeting that the draft documents, including the main "Draft Final Document," would be submitted to the NAM summit the heads of state and government today.
The meeting also adopted the Sharm El Sheikh Summit Declaration and another draft declaration condemning the decades-long economic and trade embargo imposed on Cuba as well as the draft declaration to make 18 July of every year a Nelson Mandela day, among other documents.
The ministerial meeting was devoted to the general debate under the summit's theme of International Solidarity for Peace and Development as well as the impact and causes of the world financial crisis.
In the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane held bilateral meetings with Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Gheit who is also the Current Chair of the NAM, Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama and Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister, Riad Malki.
The NAM is the largest grouping of countries outside of the United Nations, aimed at giving a voice to the developing world. Set up more than five decades ago during the Cold War.
It was designed to be a group of countries that do not consider themselves aligned with any particular major power or bloc. It now includes 118 countries.
