AIRCRAFT; TELLI AND YIFRU MET BY OFFICIALS; WELCOME SIGN; GOWON GREETS YIFRU AND TELLI; YIFRU PRESENTS LETTER TO GOWON; TELLI AND YIFRU LEAVE.




Initials AH/VS/CT/OS



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Background: ETHIOPIAN FOREIGN MINISTER KETEMA YIFRU FLEW INTO LAGOS YESTERDAY (SUNDAY) ON A NEW PEACE MISSION TO END THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR. TODAY, HE HANDED A MESSAGE FROM EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE CONTAINING THE NEW PEACE INITIATIVES TO THE FEDERAL NIGERIAN LEADER, MAJOR-GENERAL YAKUBU GOWON.

MR. YIFRU WAS ACCOMPANIED DURING HIS VISIT BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN UNITY (OAU). M. DIALLO TELLI.

WHEN QUESTIONED AT IKEJA AIRPORT, MR. YIFRU DID NOT ELABORATE ON THE CONTENTS OF THE LETTER HE WAS BEARING. BUT HE DID HINT THAT IT CONTAINED THE LATEST PROPOSALS BY THE SIX-NATION OAU CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE ON NIGERIA TO BRING AN END TO THE WAR.

HE ADDED THAT THE COMMITTEE HAD BEEN HOLDING DISCUSSIONS ON THE SITUATION FOR THE PAST SIX WEEKS, AND THAT HE WAS PERSONALLY VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT THE CRISIS COULD NOW BE SOLVED.

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER MEETING MR. YIFRU, GENERAL GOWON LEFT LAGOS TO BEGIN A TWO-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO CONGO-KINSHASA, WHERE PRESIDENT JOSEPH MOBUTU IS ONE OF THE SIX AFRICAN HEADS OF STATE ASSIGNED BY THE OAU TO SERVE ON THE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE HEADED BY EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE.

OFFICIALS IN LAGOS, HOWEVER, STATED THAT GENERAL GOWON'S VISIT TO CONGO-KINSHASA WAS THE RESULT OF A LONG-STANDING INVITATION, AND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CURRENT OAU PEACE INITIATIVES.

MEANWHILE, MR. YIFRU AND MR. TELLI ARE WAITING IN LAGOS FOR FURTHER TALKS WITH NIGERIAN OFFICIALS.