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Obasanjo Summons Ivorien Warlords

Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
November 6, 2004
Posted to the web November 8, 2004

By Vincent Ujumadu

The African Union (AU) Chairman, President Olusegun Obasanjo, has convened a
meeting of the warring factions in the Cote d'Ivoire crisis at his Ota farm in
Ogun. This followed the recent escalation of the crisis after the withdrawal of
the rebels from the central government in Abidjan.
Presidential spokeswoman Oluremi Oyo, said the AU Commission Chairman, Malian
President Alpha Omar Konare, would lead some leaders to the meeting.
Briefing newsmen on the president's activities, Oyo said the meeting would seek
to return the troubled country to the path of peace and reconciliation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the crisis appears to have defied
solution with both the rebels and government reneging on agreements reached
with both the ECOWAS in Accra and France in the French city of Marcousis.
ECOWAS and AU had asked the government and the major rebel group in the
Northern part of Cote d'Ivoire to respect the Marcousis agreement, but they
refused to do so.
Also today, Obasanjo received the first indigenous Deputy Managing Director of
Total-Elf Oil Company, Mr Emmanuel Chiejina, and called for more investment in
the oil and gas sectors of the economy.The Total-Elf team restated its
determination to expand investment in Nigeria's oil, power and gas sectors, and
undertake the refining of crude.
Obasanjo also met with his NEPAD business group led by Mr Goody Ibru,and
restated his determination to get Nigerian businessmen to play their roles in
the African development initiative.

   

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