Ricardo Alday, a spokesman for the Mexican Embassy in the United States, also said the drone belonged to Mexico and was part of an operation in coordination with the U.S. government.

CNN: Drone crash in El Paso under investigation

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi agreed on the need for closer co-operation on infrastructure projects and said the planning and coordination body of the African Union, Nepad, was already working on this.

BBC: Davos 2012: Africa leaders urge co-operation