Angolan president meets with UN chief

LUANDA - Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos on Monday welcomed visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon who is on a two-day official visit to the African country.

During the one-hour meeting at the President Palace in Luanda, President Eduardo dos Santos briefed the UN chief on the latest political, economic and social developments of the country and the current situation in the Southern African region and the Portuguese-speaking countries, the official news agency Angop said.

Currently Angola is holding the rotating chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries(CPLP).

The visit by Ban Ki-Moon, who arrived in Luanda on Sunday, would serve as an opportunity to strengthen the partnership between the United Nations and Angola through discussions at the highest levels with Angolan authorities, said UN representative to Angola Maria Duval.

"Angola is a state, a state, very important for the United Nations, and the visit is a great opportunity to see not only how to strengthen the contribution of the United Nations in the development process in Angola, but also the contribution of Angola to the United Nations," the UN envoy said.

Earlier on Monday, Ban opened the national vaccination campaign against polio in the Vianna district of southern Luanda and hailed Angola as an example in the fight against the disease. The campaign is expected to immunize some 6 million children in Angola, one of the six countries in the world which still need to eradicate the disease.

Ban recognized the commitment of the Angolan government to work towards its eradication. "I would like to congratulate President Jose Eduardo dos Santos for the funding of this campaign and his personal commitment to the cause," he said.

Political observers in Luanda said Ban Ki-moon's visit marked a diplomatic gain for Angola.