diplomat

Mr. Khamenei and his diplomats have often played a subtle game for the benefit of Westerners.

The daughter of designer Edwin Schlossberg and diplomat Caroline Kennedy, she said she was shocked by the diagnosis, as she considered herself "one of the healthiest people I knew".

The EU is expected to offer its expertise to help build up intra-African trade, which currently accounts for a paltry 15 percent of the total, diplomats said.

But Shaheen said she and Rounds spoke to the top US diplomat while he was en route to Geneva for the latest negotiations with Ukrainian officials.

As tension between the two nations shows no sign of letting up, there are concerns that South African diplomats may be frozen out of meetings when the US takes over the G20 presidency next year.