HAVANA - The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rosemary Museminali, leaves today for Havana, Cuba, to attend a Ministerial conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries.

The minister revealed this over the phone Friday, adding that 120 countries will be represented in the April 27-30 meeting.

"I will be in Havana, attending a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement of more than one hundred twenty countries,” Museminali said.

The meeting will look into preparations for the forthcoming15th Heads of State NAM Summit, scheduled for July 11-16 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

During the Sharm El Sheikh summit, the NAM presidency will be passed to Egypt.

Apart from strengthening the unity and solidarity of the group, the largest international organization after the UN, important issues on the international agenda will be debated in the meeting, particularly the role of its members in the search for solutions to the world’s economic and financial crisis, which affects developing nations.

Founded in September 1961, NAM is an outspoken organisation very critical of UN processes and power dynamics, with the main contentious issue being UN Security Council reform.

Some member-states have been advocating expansion of the Security Council, arguing that adding new members will alleviate what they consider as democratic and representative shortfalls.

One critically touchy issue with respect to UNSC reform has been whether the new members should be permanent.

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