Mahinda to head G-15

3 May 2010 12:07 pm

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is due to participate in the 14th summit of the Group 15 in Tehran on May 17 and is scheduled to take over the chairmanship of the Group during the summit, the Fars News Agency reported. 

A high-level delegation led by President Rajapaksa will attend the summit. Rajapaksa is scheduled to meet Iranian President Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the meeting to discuss strengthening of ties between the two countries.

While Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is scheduled to attend the summit, Venezuelan envoy to Tehran in an interview with FNA announced that President Hugo Chavez also plans to take part in the conference.

President Ahmadinejad has invited Syrian President Bashar a-Assad to attend the summit as a special guest.

The G-15, which was established in 1989 as a community of the most successful Third World countries, comprises 18 countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Iran, Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe are members of the Group.

Iran took over the chairmanship of the Group 15 in the 13th summit held in Havana, Cuba in September 2006, the Fars News Agency reported.