- Title: ETHIOPIA: ENAHORO WALKS OUT OF PEACE TALKS, RETURNS TO LAGOS FOR CONSULTATIONS
- Date: 14th August 1968
- Summary: NJOKU AND ENAHORO ARRIVING,INTERIOR..CONFERENCE HALL; SELASSIE SEATED; NJOKU LEAVING; ENAHORO LEAVING. Initials ERW/VS/JH/ES Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 29th August 1968 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
- Country: Ethiopia
- Reuters ID: LVA6KTMC8HOWWCCMM5J3ZZXMZOQM
- Story Text: CHIEF ANTHONY ENAHORO, THE LEADER OF THE NIGERIAN FEDERAL DELEGATION TO THE PEACE TALKS IN ADDIS ABABA, WALKED OUT OF THE TALKS ON MONDAY (AUGUST 12), AFTER REPORTEDLY TELLING THE BIAFRAN DELEGATION THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WOULD NEVER ACCEPT ANY DEMAND FOR SOVEREIGNTY OR INDEPENDENCE. CHIEF ENAHORO RETURNED TO LAGOS, FOR CONSULTATIONS WITH HIS GOVERNMENT AND, TODAY (WEDNESDAY), THE TALKS RESUMED WITHOUT HIM.
THE BIAFRAN DELEGATION, LED BY PROFESSOR ENI NJOKU, WAS THE FIRST TO LEAVE THE CONFERENCE HALL, EVEN PRECEDING EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE, WHO HAS BEEN ACTING AS CHAIRMAN OF THE CONFERENCE. THE EMPEROR HAS BEEN TOILING BEHIND THE SCENES AND HAS SEVERAL TIMES HELD SEPARATE MEETINGS WITH THE TWO DELEGATIONS IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIND A MEASURE OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THEM.
IN A STATEMENT FROM LAGOS YESTERDAY (TUESDAY) THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REJECTED BIAFRA'S PEACE PROPOSALS AS "TOTALLY UNREALISTIC". IT SAID THAT CHIEF ENAHORO HAD TOLD THE PEACE CONFERENCE THAT ANY PROPOSALS NOT ACCEPTING THE UNITY AND INTEGRITY OF NIGERIA AS A STARTING POINT WERE TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
A PLAN, PUT FORWARD BY THE BIAFRAN DELEGATION LAST FRIDAY (12 AUGUST), CALLED FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF BIAFRA AS A SOVEREIGN AND INDEPENDENT STATE, IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF THE FIGHTING AND THE REMOVAL OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ECONOMIC BLOCKADE.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None