51.   French Environment Minister Michel Barnier is to lead the mission, which will notably seek assurances that the Ukrainian authorities are planning to close down the plant.

52.   He has also led trade missions to South Africa, India and the Middle East.

53.   He said the Western European Union, future defence pillar of the EU, would have had far more political and military clout in leading the mission.

54.   He said the Western European Union, the putative defence wing of the European Union, would have had far more political and military clout in leading the mission.

55.   But mediation efforts resumed nearly a year ago with former Tunisian foreign minister, Mahmoud Mestiri, leading the mission.

56.   Canada has offered to lead the mission.

57.   Mandela, popular in the Gulf after his years of leading the struggle against apartheid, has already led one mission to the region in search of business.

58.   Matos Azocar will lead the mission to IMF headquarters in Washington along with Planning Minister Edgar Peredes Pisani and Central Bank of Venezuela governor Antonio Casas.

59.   Originally, Christopher planned to ask his special coordinator for the Middle East, Dennis Ross, to lead the mission to the region.

60.   Robinson said at the time that she would only lead the mission if it had full cooperation from Israel and the Palestinian Authority.