CONFERENCE HALL: HEADS OF STATE ARRIVE: HEADS OF STATE SEATED IN CONFERENCE ROOM.




Initials TS/V/AS/BJ


EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: OUR PRODUCTION NUMBER 840/70 'CAMEROUN: MADAGASCAR PRESIDENT FLOWN TO PARIS AFTER TAKING ILL AT OCAMM SUMMIT'. SERVICED TODAY, ALSO REFERS.

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Background: THE AFRO-MALAGASY COMMON ORGANISATION (OCAMM) ENDED A TWO-DAY SUMMIT MEETING IN YAOUNDE, CAMEROUN TODAY AND DECIDED TO HOLD ITS NEXT SUMMIT IN FORT LAMY, CHAD, NEXT JANUARY. ONE OF THE FINAL RESOLUTIONS OF THE MEETING WAS TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE ORGANISATION TO THE AFRICAN, MALAGASY AND MAURITANIAN COMMON ORGANISATION (OCAMM).

OCAMM GAINED ITS NEW NAME AND EXTRA INITIAL AS A RESULT OF THE ADMISSION LAST YEAR OF MAURITIUS, THE 15TH MEMBER OF THE ORGANISATION ALONG WITH 13 FRENCH-SPEAKING AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND MADAGASCAR.

CHAD PRESIDENT FRANCOIS TOMALBAYE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT FOR 1970.

THE CONFERENCE ENDED A DAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE TO ALLOW MEMBERS TO ATTEND CELEBRATIONS MARKING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY CHAD'S INDEPENDENCE.

IN ITS FINAL COMMUNIQUE THE CONFERENCE DEPLORED WHAT IT CALLED PRESS CAMPAIGNS BY SOME FOREIGN NEWS AGENCIES TO DENIGRATE SOME HEADS OF STATE AND OF GOVERNMENTS FOR DECISIONS TAKEN BY THEM AFFECTING SOME FOREIGN FIRMS.

ONLY NINE OF THE 15 STATES IN THE ORGANISATION WERE PRESENT AT THE OPENING CEREMONY. PRESIDENT PHILIBERT TSIRANANA, OF MADAGASCAR, WAS TAKEN ILL AND LEFT FOR HOSPITAL IN PARIS.

YESTERDAY THE CONFERENCE DECIDED TO SUPPORT THE WISH OF MAURITIUS FOR ASSOCIATION WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET.

THE CREATION OF A MARKETING BOARD WAS DISCUSSED AND THE CONFERENCE ASKED PRESIDENT HAMANI DIORI, OF NIGER, TO CALL A MEETING TO RE-EXAMINE WAYS AND MEANS OF PUTTING THE PLAN INTO EFFECT.