LOC09:03
06:03 GMT
PARIS, May 9 (KUNA) -- Interior ministers from the powerful Group of Eight
(G8) nations begin meetings Monday in Paris to discuss the important issue of
drug trafficking, specifically trafficking of cocaine across the Atlantic
Ocean.
The two-day meeting is being presided over by French Interior Minister
Claude Gueant, as France currently holds the rotating G8 presidency, official
sources said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet with participants on Monday
evening, his office announced here.
Justice Ministers from several nations are also expected to attend the
talks and several non-G8 participants will also be present, organizers said.
These will include representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean,
which are focal points for cocaine production and transport to the United
States, Europe and elsewhere.
There will also be delegations from West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco,
Algeria and Europe.
A number of international and regional organizations will also be present,
including Interpol, Europol, the European Commission, the World Bank and
several UN bodies, among others.
The Paris meeting is expected to formulate "an action plan" that will be
submitted for approval by G8 leaders at the forthcoming Summit meeting in
Deauville later in the month. (end) jk.rk
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