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United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has canceled his planned visit to Britain, France, Germany and Russia to discuss Iraq with the four nations' leaders, a UN spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The trip was canceled as Annan was invited by Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis to attend a EU summit in Athens on April 17, she said.
Greece currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. The summit is expected to bring together leaders of EU nations, EU candidate states and Russia.
"Since this occasion (summit) will provide him the opportunity to meet with the leadership of the EU as well as other participating countries, Annan has decided not to travel to Europe tomorrow as previously announced," the spokeswoman explained.
Annan's spokesman Fred Eckhard announced Monday that the UN chief would travel to the four European nations this week to discuss a possible UN role in post-conflict Iraq.
(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2003)
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