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Obasanjo Chairs Mini-ECOWAS Summit On Cote d'Ivoire

This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
June 22, 2004
Posted to the web June 22, 2004
Lagos
President Olusegun Obasanjo has at a mini-ECOWAS summit on the situation in
Cote D'Ivoire which took place at the Presidential Lounge of the Nnamdi Azikiwe
Airport, Abuja, declared that peace in the West African sub-region could only
be guaranteed through peace in the troubled Cote D'Ivoire.
The president, who chaired the meeting which he chaired and was attended by the
leaders of Togo, Ghana, Cote D'Ivoire and representative from Niger Republic,
said "as long as things are not settled in Cote D'Ivoire, West Africa will
remain unsettled."
He stressed that when 'there is goodwill, no human situation cannot be resolved
through discussion and dialogue," adding that the situation in Cote D'Ivoire
"is one that lends itself to be resolved through the spirit of give-and-take."
Obasanjo who urged all the warring parties to work together just as certain key
decisions that had been reached at the mini-ECOWAS summit would lead to peace
in Cote D'Ivoire if faithfully implemented, said that "we are committed to this
and we will leave no stone unturned until we achieve success."
The president has also asked the president of Zambia, Mr. Levi Patrick
Mwanawasa, to give his consent to the transfer of seven Nigerian prisoners
serving various terms in Zambian jail.
Presidential spokesperson, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, who made the disclosure yesterday
while giving major highlights of Obasanjo's recent visit to Zambia, said "the
president also seized the opportunity to seek compassion on behalf of the 7
Nigerian prisoners who are in Zambian jail. And just as it had been done in the
case of Thailand when we brought Nigerian prisoners home to conplete their
terms, the president asked his colleague for that relief.
"The prisoners are mostly for offences connected with immigration because they
use Zambia as entry point to South Africa and we got positive response in that
light," she added.

   

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