PRESIDENT DIORI ARRIVING AND GREETING PRESIDENTS HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY OF IVORY COAST, MASSAMBA-DEBAT OF CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE, MOBUTU OF CONGO-KINSHASA, TSIRANANA OF MALAGASY, SENGHOR OF SENEGAL: PRESIDENT SEATED IN CONFERENCE: PRESIDENT DIORI SPEAKING.




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Background: PRESIDENT HAMANI DIORI OF NIGER OPENED A 14-NATION SUMMIT CONFERENCE OF FRENCH-SPEAKING AFRICAN STATES IN NIAMEY YESTERDAY (MONDAY) WITH A WARNING THAT CRUCIAL NEGOTIATIONS NEXT MONTH COULD DECIDE THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OR STAGNATION. THE 4TH. SUMMIT GATHERING OF THE AFRO-MALAGASY COMMON ORGANISATION (OCAM), AFRICA'S STRONGEST REGIONAL GROUPING, IS BEING ATTENDED BY 13 PRESIDENTS AND ONE FOREIGN MINISTER.

PRESIDENT DIORI WHO IS ALSO PRESIDENT OF OCAM, WARNED THAT THE 14 MEMBER-STATES FACED VITAL NEGOTIATIONS NEXT MONTH IN NEW DELHI, INDIA, AT THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD). THE GULF BETWEEN PRICES OF THEIR BASIC PRODUCTS AND THE COST OF IMPORTS FROM ABROAD WAS "SLOWING DOWN ALL PROGRESS AND LEADING INEVITABLY TO REGRESSION", HE SAID.

THE OCAM CONFERENCE WAS SCHEDULED TO HAVE STARTED ON SATURDAY, AND THIS TWO-DAY POSTPONEMENT WILL CUT ITS RUNNING TIME DOWN FROM FOUR TO TWO DAYS. OCAM REPRESENTS ABOUT 60,000,000 FRENCH-SPEAKING PEOPLE ACROSS THE BREADTH OF AFRICA. MEMBERS STATES ARE: NIGER, CAMEROUN, CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE, CONGO-KINSHASA, CHAD, DAHOMEY, GABON, IVORY COAST, MALAGASY, RWANDA, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, SENEGAL, TOGO, AND UPPER VOLTA.

MAIN TOPICS AT THE CONFERENCE ARE EXPECTED TO BE TRADE BETWEEN AFRICA AND THE EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET, THE FORTHCOMING UNCTAD CONFERENCE, AND THE POSSIBLE FORMATION OF SOME KIND OF WORLD-WIDE LINK BETWEEN THE FRENCH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES. THE PRESIDENTS ARE ALSO DUE TO STUDY SOME 50 OTHER AFRICAN AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES PLACED BEFORE THEM BY THEIR FOREIGN MINISTERS WHO MET IN NIAMEY LAST WEEK TO PREPARE AN AGENDA FOR THE SUMMIT.