Addis Ababa, Feb 09(ENA)--Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has returned home on Saturday at the end of his official working visit to three European countries.

Prime minister Meles has exchanged views with leaders of Germany, Ireland and France on bilateral and international issues.

Meles has also attended the summit meeting of 13 African leaders held in Paris to draft a plan for a new partnership between the poorest in the continent and the world's richest, the G8 countries.

During his stay in Paris Meles has met and held discussions with French president Jacques Chirac on the situations in the Horn of Africa and terrorism.

The prime minister has also exchanged views with the Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi who was in the French capital to attend the New Partnership for African Development (NPAD) leaders summit on the situations in east Africa and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The African leaders at the summit held in Paris, France on Friday have deliberated on ways how to present the NPAD initiative to the world's richest countries due to be held in June in Canada.

Representatives of Great Britain and Canada including France have attended the leaders summit.

The development vision of Africa that has been clearly stated in the NPAD initiative was being enriched through discussions.

NPAD was believed to be instrumental in raising Africa from the quagmire of poverty by working in partnership with the developed nations.

Some 18 countries including Ethiopia have been closely monitoring the implementation of the initiative.

The ideas proposed by leaders from 13 African countries would be presented to the G8 summit meeting by the French president Jacques Chirac.

Ambassador Kongit Sine-Georigis head of African desk at the Ethiopian ministry of foreign affairs told journalists in Paris that the primary objective of NPAD was to enable Africa and developed nations to work in partnership to reduce poverty.

The aid that the developed nations provide to Africa should be based on partnership but not as a donation, she said, adding that reducing the level of poverty should be the obligation and concern of all countries around the world.

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