1.
GV ZOOM TO Gabon Foreign Minister and party in lumber shed
0.05

2.
SV Minister and party watching workmen
0.10

3.
GV Forklift truck in woodyard
0.14

4.
SV PAN Workers stamping numbers on cut timber
0.24

5.
SV Minister and party walking through mill (3 shots)
0.43

6.
GV Minister and party watching rotary cultivator in paddy field
0.50

7.
SV Minister talking to local workers
0.54

8.
SV Men in paddy field with cultivator
1.00

9.
SCU Minister talking to officials
1.02



Initials CL/2315 CL/2325



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The Gaboness Foreign Minister, M. Paul Okumba d'Okwatesque, and an official touring party visited the developing industrial centre and port of San-Pedro on Sunday (15 June) during a six-day visit to Ivory Coast.

When M. Okumba arrived in the capital, Abidjan, on Friday (13 June) with his party of 15, he said the purpose of the tour was to study and see for himself the ??? political and social achievements of Ivory Coast.

San-Pedro is Ivory Coast's most ambitious and far-sighted development. It was launched by Presidential decree in 1969 with the aim of counterbalancing the dominant role of Abidjan and tapping the rich industrial and agricultural potential of the country's south-western region.

Ivory Coast and Gabon are the two biggest timber exporting ??? in Africa and San-Pedro now boasts the continent's largest timber mill, and it was the mill that was the focus of the visit by the Gabonese party. They also saw the cultivation of paddy fields nearby. The hinterland has also seen the development of plantations for such crops as rubber, cocoa and palm-oil.

SYNOPSIS: Gabon's Foreign Minister -- M. Paul Okumba d'Okwatseque -- ??? the developing industrial ??? San-Pedro on Sunday during six-day visit to Ivory Coast.

Gabon and Ivory Coast are the biggest timber exporting nation in Africa.

San-Pedro boasts the ??? largest timber mill. It is only part of an ambitious development at San-Pedro launched only six years ago.

When Monsieur Okumba began the ??? in the capital -- Abidjan -- he said his aim was to study for himself the economic achievements of Ivory Coast. San-Pedro was created to counterbalance the predominance of Abidjan and tap the abundant wealth of the south-west region.

The Minister and his touring party of fifteen also saw mechanical cultivation in the fields nearby. In the port's hinterland plantations have been developed to produce a variety of crops such as cocoa, palm-oil and rubber, as well as foodstuffs.

The Minister later had a meeting with President Felix ???.