African first ladies meet in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, April 17 (UPI) -- A two-day conference in Los Angeles for the wives of African presidents is to focus on health, especially the fight against AIDS, and women's issues.

At least 12 first ladies are committed to the summit, CNN reported. They are the wives of heads of state in Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Swaziland, and Zambia.

The sponsors are U.S. Doctors for Africa and African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering, a group initiated by African first ladies. The conference begins Monday.

"Empowering Africa's first ladies is an innovative approach to bettering the lives of millions of Africans," Ted Alemayhu, who heads the doctors group, said in a written statement. "The summit will pair these leaders with U.S. experts, key political figures and important organizations to create ongoing partnerships."

Maria Shriver, wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is expected to give opening remarks, the sponsors said, and a contingent of celebrities, including Diane Lane and Sharon Stone, plan to attend.