Robert Gates
G'day mate
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates attends the annual Australia-US Ministerial Consultations on defence and security in Canberra (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Condoleezza Rice
Lee inauguration
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits South Korea for inauguration of President Lee Myung-bak on February 25 (Yonhap).
Yasuo Fukuda
Six-party talks
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda visits Seoul for inauguration of President Lee Myung-bak; during the trip he will meet with Lee for talks on bilateral relations and North Korea's nuclear programme (Kyodo).
David Miliband
Human rights agenda?
UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband visits Beijing for talks from February 24-29 (Xinhua).
Ehud Olmert
Economic discussions
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will attend talks with his counterpart Yasuo Fukuda and Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura; the focus will be on on political and economic issues, including a Japanese proposal to establish agro-industrial region in the West Bank (The Jerusalem Post).
Bangladesh flag
Defence meeting
Bangladesh Army Chief Moeen Ahmed visits Delhi to discuss defence ties and counter-terrorism efforts (The Indian Express).
EU flag
EU/Ukraine forum
Kiev hosts the Europe-Ukraine Forum, which will be attended by figures including President Viktor Yushchenko, and Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko (Glavred).
Nicholas Sarkozy
Sarkozy tour
French President Nicolas Sarkozy visits South Africa from February 26-27 (AFP).
Viktor Yanukovych
Anti-NATO lobbying
Ukrainian opposition Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych visits Brussels to seek to persuade NATO leaders that most Ukrainians are against Ukraine's NATO entry (ITAR-TASS)
Mirek Topolanek
Talks with Bush
Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek holds talks with President George Bush on February 27 (CTK).
French Flag
Joint military exercise
Forces from France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar hold first joint exercise, named "Gulf Shield 01", in UAE territory and international waters near the Straits of Hormuz.
Chinese flag
Darfur gesture
Liu Guijin, the Chinese government's special representative for Darfur, visits Sudan from London from February 24-27 (Xinhua).
Vatican flag
Vatican visit
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, visits; meets leaders, attends masses in Havana, Villa Clara, Guantanamo (Cubavision TV).
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Gas diplomacy
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits; meets counterpart Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner; also attends three-way meeting with Kirchner and Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales to discuss Bolivian gas supplies to Argentina (Clarin, La Prensa).
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Pre-NATO summit talks
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer meets President George Bush at White House (Regional sources).
