JOHANNESBURG, July 24 (Xinhua) -- South African President Thabo Mbeki will lead a government delegation to the inaugural South Africa-European Union Summit, scheduled for Friday in Bordeaux, France, the foreign affairs department said on Thursday in a statement.

    Mbeki would be accompanied by Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa and Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena, the statement said.

    French President Nicolas Sarkozy would head the European Union (EU) delegation, supported by, among others, European Commission president Manuel Barroso.

    This was the first summit since the establishment of the SA-EU Strategic Partnership in May last year, which intended to strengthen relations between the two parties. It also aimed to address shared bilateral, regional and global interests, the statement added.

    According to the statement, issues on the agenda included progress on the implementation of the SA-EU strategic partnership, migration, food security, African and global security, the environment and climate change.