Tension at ports over intercepted explosives

 Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas

By Tokunbo Adedoja

Nigeria, at the weekend, reiterated its position that it would support the bid by Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations as a sovereign state, saying its policy on Palestine had not changed.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Olugbenga Ashiru, said this at a dinner hosted in honour of Nigerian journalists attending the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Last Friday, Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, had presented an application to UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, requesting that Palestine, which currently has observer status at the UN, become a member state.

The Palestinian application was immediately forwarded by Ki-moon to the Security Council for consideration and that body has said it will begin consultations on it today.

Nigeria is the first African country to openly endorse the demand of the Palestinian authorities to be admitted as a member of the UN.

The council, which has 15 members, including Nigeria (a non-permanent member), is the body saddled with the responsibility of considering application for UN membership and deciding whether or not to recommend admission to the 193-member General Assembly, which then has to adopt a resolution for the admission of such a member state.

While Israel had expressed its opposition to any UN resolution on Palestine's application, maintaining that the road to achieving statehood lies in a negotiated peace between both parties, US, which is one of the permanent members of the council, has not hidden its decision to use its veto power to block the application.

The Security Council is currently under the presidency of Lebanon, but Nigeria will assume its presidency on October 1, 2011.
Responding to a question on how Nigeria would vote when it is time for UN to take a position on the statehood of Palestine, Ashiru said: “It is a very simple question in the sense that it has always been the consistent policy of the government of Nigeria that we prefer a simple solution to the problem of the Middle East. We prefer a solution whereby the two states - Palestine and Israel - live peacefully side by side.

“Not only that, since 1984, Nigeria has recognised the state of Palestine and in fact the ambassador of Palestine had been resident in Nigeria since 1984 and there was a time when the ambassador, for 15 years, was the dean of the diplomatic corps.

“So since 1984, we have recognised the state of Palestine.  As far as I am concerned, our stand and policy is very clear and there is no change in our position.”

Commenting on various overtures to Nigeria on the issue by interested parties some of who met with President Goodluck Jonathan and top Nigerian officials on the margins of the UN summit, the minister said: “We told all the groups that came - some to the president and some to me - that our policy has remained the same. We want a two-state solution and Nigeria will, as before, maintain a pattern of voting since the issue has been before the Security Council.”

Noting that the two groups of people involved are friends of Nigeria, he said: “We wish them well and we wish to see them live in peace side by side, under a two-state solution to this crisis.”

The minister also spoke on the situation in Libya. He said after the Federal Government evacuated thousands of Nigerians who opted to return home when the crisis broke out some months ago, there might still be about 200 Nigerians remaining in the North African country.

Ashiru said when there were fears that those Nigerians might be in harm's way, the country contacted the National Transitional Council (NTC) through the nation's mission in Addis Ababa and Paris and the NTC assured Nigeria of its nationals’ safety.

He also said that one of the Nigerians still left in Libya told him that, “nobody was killed, anyway, and that some were arrested and later released.”

Quoting the source, Ashiru said: “The Nigerian I have contact with which I spoke to - we speak to other people too in Nigeria from time to time. His estimate is in the range of under 200 Nigerians still remaining.

“He told me on a number of occasions that I have called him that, by and large, they are safe, that nobody has attacked them from the troops that were moving in.”

The minister said what Nigeria was doing was to ensure that it works with the international community to ensure stability in Libya, adding, “A stable Libya is in the interest of Nigeria.”

On when Nigeria would re-open its mission in Tripoli, the minister said the situation would be assessed to make sure that everything is stable and secure.

While noting that a number of countries had announced the return of their missions to Libya, he said: “We will assess the situation; we will re-examine it, and at the appropriate time, when we feel that the situation has stabilised, then we will take a decision on the return of our officials -diplomats - back to Libya.”

Ashiru also disputed reports that some loyalists of Muammar Gadhafi had made their way into Nigeria, saying he was not aware of any specific entry to Nigeria by any person or group of persons.

“Our security agencies are on the alert. You know if you come into Nigeria without proper documentation or visa, you would not be allowed entry, even if you have gained entry without proper documentation, we have the right to detain or to send you back to where you are coming from.

“So our security agencies are on the alert and I can assure you that anybody who enters Nigeria illegally would be promptly deported and sent back to where the group may have come from,” he said.

When asked what would be Nigeria's position if Gadhafi chooses to seek refuge in the country, the minister said such anxiety should not be expressed because the former Libyan leader might not do that for obvious reasons and that he, as minister, does not believe that he would be confronted with a situation like that.

 SOURCE; ThisDay Newspaper, 26 September 2011. http://www.thisdaylive.com