United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, has accepted an invitation by the Dutch Presidency of the European Union to attend the bloc's summit next week, a statement from the Dutch Foreign Ministry said Friday. Annan will participate in E.U. summit talks in Brussels on December 17, the second day of the meeting. "The invitation is prompted by the importance the E.U. attaches to effective multilateralism," the Dutch statement said. Discussion with Annan would focus on how the international community, with an effective UN at its core, can shape the global response to threats and challenges in the 21st century, it added. E.U. leaders will be meeting in Brussels on December 16-17 for a summit which is expected to set a date for starting negotiations on Turkey's membership of the 25 nation bloc. -
