Pompidou and Senghor taking leave of each other; Senghor speaking to reporters (SOF -- IN FRENCH).



TRANSCRIPT: REPORTER: "You have just had a long lunch with President Pompidou. May we know what matters you discussed with him?"



SENGHOR: "I started by congratulating the President of the French Republic on the courage he had shown during his electoral campaign, not only by his pledge in favour of Afro-French co-operation but by his telling the truth about this co-operation -- that it was, as everyone knows, profitable to the old colonies but also profitable to metropolitan France. Afterwards, as I used to do with General de Gaulle, we had a general political review of the problem of bilateral co-operation, but mainly about the problems concerned with French-speaking Africa. Generally speaking, we talked about French-speaking Africa and the organisation of the franc area, and on the cultural level of the organisation of co-operation between French-speaking states. I think that this two-sided organisation -- economic and cultural -- is necessary for us African states, but I think it is also profitable to France, because, as the French President said, the vocation of France -- mediocrity is not France's vocation. France should have ambitions. Anyway, we have for her."




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Background: President Leopold Senghor of Senegal spoke to reporters today (3 September) about the discussions he had just had with France's President Georges Pompidou over a working lunch at the Elysee Palace, Paris, the French President's official residence.

On the steps of the Elysee Palace, immediately after the two Presidents had taken leave of each other, a reporter asked the Senegalese head of state about the discussions.