April 5, 1969

376

One of the foremost themes of the President of Niger , El Hadji Hamani Diori , whenever i have met him in the past , has been the need for co-operation and ulttimately unity between English-speaking and French-speaking Africa . Like President Senghor, he deplores the rivalries of the ex-colonial powers on Africa , and resists the idea that any differences between Britain and France should find reflection there . He has himself positively declared his support for Btitish entry this would have on co-operation in Africa .

As I talced to him his hotel room over the Palace of Westminister , the President benign , accessible and franc , englarged on this theme in the context of regional in Africa . As President of the Afro-Malagasy Common Organisation (OCAM) he assured me there was no objection to any English-speaking African state joining OCAM provided they accepted the charter : " There is already an there are French-speaking countries , such as Mali and Mauritania , which are not members of OCAM", He pointed out that Englich-and French-speaking states work together in ad itoc groupings such as the Chad Basin Commission and the Niger River Commission : he seemed particulary enthusiastic about the possibility that Ghana might join the council of the Entente (the five-nation grouping offf which Niger is a membres ),

He stressed that the objective of a common market in West Africa though the 14-nation grouping coid only progress slowly , because of different currencies , tariff , tax and legal systems , and different foreign commitments . Although the Entente was represents at the Monrovia summit a year ago by Upper Volta , he and other colleagues had not gone because they felt that the problems of the grouping should have been properly worked out before taking the matter to summit level : " You don’t go to a conference for the pleasure of going ." He saw unity in the francophone states : after that should come the integration of French and English-speaking countries . In the meantime , however , co-operation could proceed in for example , telecommunications , transport , health and cultural exchanges .

On the Nigerian crisis , he said that the OAU Consultative Committee of which he is a member , is meeting , in principle , in Monrovia on April 17 and 18 . "We were very disappointed that the talks last year came to nothing " , he said reminding me that preliminary talks in Niamey , Niger’s capital , just July , had been the only time General Gowon and Col . Ojukwu had both been persuaded to attend , even if not together . This had been arranged with thehelp of "my friends President Houphouet-Boigny and President Bongo " , with whom his relations were still very had recognised Biafra . He understood their act of recognition had been an "act of concience " to alert world opinion to the fratricidal struggle , and the mesasure which they thought would help bring a solution to the problem. "This is not my point of view . We can alert world opinion without going as far as recognition ." Niger, said the President , was particulary anixious for the war to end because of the side-effects it was to end because of the side-effects it was having on the Niger economy . Although the Nigerians

had done everything to help , difficulties were being experienced in evacuation of produce , notably groundnuits ; Niger had had difficulty in meeting advance commitments to European buyers . The difficulties of conversion of the Nigerian pound had caused trade problems , because the Nigerians were unable to pay in cach for the goods they bought ; Niger’s revenue from the cattle trade had especially suffered . This , he told me , was also affected by competition from Chad , which has lost its Eastern Nigerian market . There was a serious black market in Nigerian currency , which had been de facto devalued. The shortage of medical supplies in Nigeria’s northern states meant an increasing strain on Niger’s health services , he added.

Lastly , when I asced him about the apparent difficulties in tha negotiations for the renewal of the Yaounde Convention (see report on page 380) , he assured me that it was only a question of negotiating techniques . The difficulties were was still confident that agreement would be reached before May 31. K.W.

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