AU spokesman Adam Thiam told Xinhua that more than 40 leaders from across Africa will attend the summit to debate a wide range of issues on the continent's agenda.

He said the crisis in Sudan's western Darfur region will be at the heart of discussions of the two-day summit.

The AU previously selected Khartoum for hosting this year's summit.

However, the AU spokesman said Khartoum will probably host the 2006 AU summit.

On Tuesday, a six-way African summit on Darfur wrapped up in the Libyan capital Tripoli with leaders agreeing to start a new round of talks between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese government in Nigeria on June 1.