Prince Moulay Rachid represents King Mohammed in millenium summit

Prince Moulay Rachid headed this Tuesday to New York to represent king Mohammed VI in the Millenium summit which opens on Wednesday.

The summit, billed as the largest ever gathering of heads of state and government, will convene in New York on Sept 6-8, with more that 150 world leaders expected to attend.

The forum, which for the first time will feature four roundtable discussions alongside plenary meetings, was described by the UN secretary general as very much "a working summit," rather than a celebratory event.

A number of events are scheduled to run parallel to the Millennium Summit, including a Security Council Summit as well as a possible summit of its five permanent members. At the invitation of the secretary general, some 65 to 70 member states are expected to make use of the occasion to sign or ratify various international treaties.

Other activities during or preceding the summit will include a forum on girls' education organized by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) at the initiative of the secretary general's wife, Nane Annan, and a meeting on dialog among civilizations, convened by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the initiative of the president of Iran. Also to be held are the annual conference of non-governmental organizations, a meeting of speakers of national parliaments organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and a meeting of the world's spiritual and religious leaders.