ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN NIGERIA, 10 - 11 JULY
Press Release
SG/T/2193
ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN NIGERIA, 10 - 11 JULY
19990714 The Secretary-General left Conakry, Guinea, late in the evening of 9 July, arriving in Abuja, Nigeria, after midnight.His first official meeting on the morning of 10 July was with Nigeria's Vice-President, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku. He told the Vice-President that he had observed "with admiration" Nigeria's efforts to democratize. "I share the aspiration and the expectation of the Nigerian people that, this time round, we are going to get it right; that this time round, democracy will take root; that this time round, the economy is going to get off the ground", he said. "Your success and your prosperity bodes well for the entire subregion and the continent."
The Secretary-General thanked the Vice-President for the role Nigeria played in brokering a peace agreement in Sierra Leone. They discussed coordination of the follow-up between the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). They also discussed implementation of the peace agreement just reached on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the frustrating efforts to end the violent and fruitless war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. In addition, they touched on human rights, Security Council reform and Nigeria's relations with the United Nations.
At a luncheon for the Secretary-General, the Vice-President thanked him for the role he played just one year ago in Nigeria's transition to democracy. "Nigeria and Nigerians owe him a debt of gratitude for the prompt response to calls for mediation in the release of political prisoners", he said. The Secretary-General's actions, the Vice-President went on, "bolstered our resolve to proceed on the democratic path and lead us to where we are today".
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met with the newly elected President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo. They discussed the peacekeeping arrangements for Sierra Leone, following the recent peace agreement there, as well as economic prospects for the subregion. They had an extended discussion of Security Council reform and talked generally of Africa-wide issues. The Secretary-General then gave a press conference, and in the evening was the dinner guest of the President.
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