Taming insecurity, conflicts in Africa to top Paris summit

France will host a high profile two-day gathering on Friday with the aim to seek ways to improve security and promote peace in African countries. At the invitation of French President Francois Hollande, representatives of 42 African states are scheduled to meet in Paris to focus mainly on political and security crises that put the regional stability on edge. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, African Union head Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and delegations from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will also attend the summit. In his first visit to Africa, Hollande said he was looking to breathe new life into diplomatic ties with former French colonies in Africa with a conciliatory approach. "I am not giving a speech to erase a precedent, I am giving a speech to write a new page with Africa, because France and Africa have historical ties," Hollande said in a previous media interview. "Times have changed, We are defining a new policy. France wants to respect its counterparts at the same time as it tells them," he noted. Widely criticised over his indecision, Hollande gained points in diplomatic front by launching a sudden military intervention against Islamists in Mali. He was preparing to increase French force in Central African Republic to at least 1,000 soldiers to stop sectarian violence.