GUINEA DELEGATE LEAVING CONFERENCE BUILDING; MALI DELEGATE LEAVING; GHANA DELEGATE INTO CAR AND AWAY; IVORY COAST DELEGATE LEAVING BUILDING; U.A.R. DELEGATE LEAVING; KENYA DELEGATE LEAVING.




Initials



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE KENYA DELEGATION WALKED OUT OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OF THE ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN UNITY IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, TODAY (FRIDAY) BECAUSE OF WHAT KENYA'S PRESIDENT KENYATTA HAS CALLED "THE CONFUSION REGARDING REPRESENTATION OF GHANA AT THE MEETING." THE UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC, GUINEA, MALI AND TANZANIA WALKED OUT YESTERDAY OVER THE PRESENCE OF THE GHANA DELEGATION, BUT THE IVORY COAST HAS JOINED NIGER IN OFFICIAL RECOGNITION OF THE NEW GHANAIAN REGIME.

THE U.A.R., MALI, GUINEA AND TANZANIAN DELEGATIONS WALKED OUT OF THE CONFERENCE YESTERDAY. PRESIDENT SEKOU TOURE OF GUINEA IS REPORTED TO HAVE MADE DR. NKRUMAH, THE OUSTED GHANAIAN PRESIDENT, THE NEW HEAD OF STATE IN GUINEA. GUINEA'S ROVING AMBASSADOR, MR. DIALLO ABDOULAYE, SAID IN ADDIS ABABA THAT DR. NKRUMAH HAS ALSO BEEN OFFERED THE POST OF PARTY LEADER.

THE WALK-OUT OF DELEGATIONS AT THE ADDIS ABABA CONFERENCE IS EXPECTED BY OBSERVERS TO HAMPER THE CONFERENCE IN TACKLING ITS TWO MOST IMMEDIATE PROBLEMS -- GHANA AND THE RHODESIA SITUATION -- AND POSSIBLY BRING IT TO END. THE GHANA-RHODESIA ISSUES HAVE SERVED TO HIGHLIGHT LONG-STANDING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SO-CALLED "MODERATE" AND "REVOLUTIONARY" AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

OVER GHANA, THE U.A.R., TANZANIA AND MALI HAVE MADE CLEAR THEIR SYMPATHY FOR DR. NKRUMAH, WHOSE REGIME WAS OUSTED FROM POWER LAST THURSDAY BY A MILITARY COUP WHILE DR. NKRUMAH WAS IN PEKING. HOWEVER, OTHER AFRICAN LEADERS HAVE CRITICISED DR. NKRUMAH FOR WHAT THEY SEE AS HIS ATTEMPT TO EXPORT REVOLUTION AND HIS OWN IDEOLOGY UNDER THE GUISE OF WORKING FOR AFRICAN UNITY.

MANY OF THE DELEGATES AT THE CONFERENCE WARMLY WELCOMED THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NEW MILITARY REGIME IN GHANA. AND BACK IN THEIR NATIONAL CAPITALS, BOTH NIGER AND THE IVORY COAST HAVE OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED THE REGIME, HEADED BY A NATIONAL REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL.