1.
GV Supreme court building
0.05

2.
LV French ambassador arrives & enters courthouse
0.21

3.
SV INT. USA Ambassador arrives & greeted
0.27

4.
SV Maga arrives & is greeted followed by Ahomadegbe
0.35

5.
SV INT. Members enter & sit
0.45

6.
CU Chief Justice takes seat
0.50

7.
SV Officials (2 shots)
1.05

8.
SV Judges taking oath(2 shots)
1.23

9.
CU Official
1.26

10.
CU Maga
1.31

11.
CU Ahomadegbe
1.34

12.
CU ZOOM OUT Court President speaking
1.44

13.
CU Flag at airport
1.47

14.
LV Maga & party leave airport & walk to plane
2.03

15.
LV & CUs Maga & Ahomadegbe (3 shots)
2.16

16.
SV Maga shakes hands with French Ambassador & party
2.22

17.
SV Maga & party board aircraft
2.27

18.
SV Ahomadegbe away from aircraft
2.40

19.
SV Aircraft ready for take off
2.43



Initials SGM/1453 SGM/1443



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: President Hubert Maga of Dahomey left Cotonou on Saturday (27 November) on a foreign tour taking him to Italy, Switzerland, France and the United States. He is due for talks with President Nixon on 9 December, when he arrives for a seven-day private visit to the United States.

First stop of his tour was in Turin, Italy, where he had talks with the Fiat Motor Company on prospects of setting up a car assembly line in Cotonou. He also visited the International Centre for Professional and Technical Perfection.

Before he left, President Maga attended the formal ceremony at the Supreme Court in Cotonou, marking the start of the new legal term.

SYNOPSIS: In Dahomey, a formal ceremony was held at the Supreme Court in Cotonou last week to mark the opening of the new legal term and the end of the old term. Among the early arrivals, was the French Ambassador, Monsieur Louis-Fernand Delamare.

M. Delamare was followed by the United States Ambassador, Mr Matthew James Looram. The current president of Dahomey, M. Hubert Maga, was followed by another member of Dahomey's three-man presidential Commission, M. Justin Ahomedegbe.

Inside the Supreme Court chamber, government ministers, foreign diplomate, representatives from provinces and major towns in Dahomey, and senior officers of Dahomey's Armed Forces took their seats for the solemn ceremonial. All the judges of the high court, courts of appeal and court of first instance were present for the official start of the new legal year.

Among the high legal officers who were sworn in to new appointments was M. Gilbert Hocquet, who has taken the post of President of the Court of Accountancy. The chamber has judicial and administrative responsibility for a wide range of public finance.

President Maga and Co-President Ahomadegbe watched attentively as the ceremony unfolded.

The President of the Supreme Court, M. Cyprien Ainadou, closed the formalities with a speech outlining the court's activities in the past year.

At Cotonou Airport on Saturday, President Maga began a journey which would take him to Europe and the United States. First stop on the tour was Turin, where President Maga was due to visit Italy's Fiat motor company and have talks on the prospects of setting up a car assembly plant in Cotonou. President Maga, who was seen off by co-president Ahomadegbe, was also due to visit Turni's International Centre for Professional and Technical Perfection.

The President was also scheduled to have talks with French leaders on bilateral co-operation and visit the International Labour Organisation in Geneva. On December 9, President Maga flies to Washington for talks with President Nixon and a seven-day private visit to the United States.