Mugabe the only President at Papua New Guinea summit

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe will be the only head of state attending the 8th summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) in Papua New Guinea next week.

Fifty delegations from the 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states have confirmed their attendance at eighth leaders' summit in Port Moresby next week.

The 50 heads of delegations include a president, four vice-presidents, 13 prime ministers, one deputy prime minister, one speaker of the national parliament, 14 ministers and 16 ambassadors

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Rimbink Pato said the president was Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe.

Pato said the meeting would be held at the National Convention Centre and chaired by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

"We may be looking at an attendance of around 500 people, meetings will take place at different venues in Port Moresby, mostly at the convention centre and at the national parliament and Sir John Guise Stadium," Pato said.

"We are very excited.

"Some of them (ACP leaders) are coming to PNG for the first time.

"Let us show them the hospitality and sell our country to ensure that this is the first of many more of them to keep coming."

The country's ambassador to Belgium and the European Union Joshua Kalinoe said he was satisfied with preparations made by the  organising committee.

Kalinoe said: "On the prepatory work in Brussels, one of the reasons why we are hosting this type of forums, is to improve the profile of PNG in the ACP regions.

"Not many people in Europe know where PNG is because they think it's part of Africa."

Six advanced teams from the ACP nations are already in the country in preparation for their delegations' arrival from the weekend. The National/ PNG Today