Cape Town — Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will meet United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, in Washington on Friday, to discuss the upcoming Johannesburg summit, her office said on Thursday.

"The minister's visit is part of a national effort led by President Thabo Mbeki to find consensus ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), to be hosted by South Africa from August 26 to September 4 this year," a statement said.

"In this context, the minister has already held meetings with her counterparts in Canada, Denmark and London."

Foreign affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa told Sapa the visit was intended to seek agreement on key sticking points that emerged at the final WSSD preparatory conference, held on the Indonesian island of Bali last month.

These included matters pertaining to human rightsd, democracy, agricultural subsidies, market access, and good governance.

Mamoepa was reluctant to comment on whether US President George W. Bush would attend the summit himself.

However, the subject might also be discussed during her visit.

The foreign affairs statement said Dlamini-Zuma would also participate in a conference, "Making Sustainable Development Work: Governance, Finance and Public Private Cooperation", while in the US.