IVORY COAST: FOREIGN MINISTER ARSENE ASSOUAN USHER ANNOUNCES COMING MEETING IN GABON OF STATES FAVOURABLE TO DIALOGUE WITH SOUTH AFRICA

Record ID: 183495

  • Title: IVORY COAST: FOREIGN MINISTER ARSENE ASSOUAN USHER ANNOUNCES COMING MEETING IN GABON OF STATES FAVOURABLE TO DIALOGUE WITH SOUTH AFRICA
  • Date: 19th October 1971
  • Summary: 1. SV Mr. Usher and party enter airport building 0.10 2. SV Reporters 0.11 3. SV Mr. Usher speaks 2.03 Initials ES. 1200 ES. 1216 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 3rd November 1971 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
  • Country: Ivory Coast
  • Reuters ID: LVA4JWXYOA5IX9S7XGL0AQ1V5U7O
  • Story Text: Foreign Ministers of states favourable to dialogue with South Africa will meet soon in Gabon, Ivory coast Foreign Minister Arsene Assouan Usher said in Abidjan on Saturday (16 October).

    Mr. Usher, who was speaking to a news conference on his return from the United Nations General Assembly in New York, did not say when the meeting would take place.

    He said that after the Gabon meeting, "we will decide on going to South Africa".

    SYNOPSIS: Ivory Coast Foreign Minister Arsene Assouan Usher, who returned to Abidjan from the united Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, announced that Foreign Ministers of states favourable to dialogue with South Africa would be meeting in Gabon soon.

    Mr. Usher said that while in New York he had discussed the matter with other African Foreign Ministers and that the Gabon meeting would decide the composition of a black african mission to be sent to Pretoria -- the mission mentioned by Ivory Coast President Houphouet-Boigny in September.

    Mr. Usher added that another African problem was to help Portugal and the fighting nationalists to meet and negotiate around a conference table. He added that he had expressed his views in New York to the United Nations press while there for the General Assembly meeting.

    He said he had learned from United nations sources that Portugal had expressed the desire to negotiate with African states rather than the Nationalist forces. Mr. Usher said the parties were unimportant in the light of the present trouble.

    Mr. Usher also mentioned that he had touched on the "two Chines" question while in New York. He said the Ivory Coast Government wished to see negotiations with Portugal which would eventually bring about the independence of countries like Bissau. Mozambique, and Angola -- while still retaining close relations with each other.
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