Nigeria Content Online

Acting president, Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday in Abuja warned
African leaders to be diplomatic when making statements about other nations.

He said this while receiving the Liberian President, Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf who was visiting to broker peace between Nigeria and Libya over
statements by the Libyan leader, Muammar Ghaddafi that Nigeria should break up.

Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf was received at the presidential villa at
about 5pm yesterday by Mr. Jonathan and his protocol team, aides as well the
National Security Adviser, Aliyu Gusau and the Secretary to the government of
the Federation, Yayale Ahmed. She came with a special envoy from the Libyan
government which was led by Muhammed Sherif, Secretary General of World Islamic
Call Society based in Tripoli. Others present were Rafa Al-Madani, the
executive secretary of Forum for Arab-African Non Governmental Organisation and
three Embassy staff in Nigeria.

Speaking to journalists after the closed door meeting between
both presidents and their aides, Ima Niboro, the special adviser to the acting
president on media, said the meeting was to create a rapport between the two
countries and to mend fences.

“It is actually an initiative on her part to broker
rapprochement between Nigeria and Libya; so she came with two special envoys
from the president of Libya, President Ghadaffi and the purpose of the meeting
basically is to establish the level of rapport so that the two nations can put
behind them the recent statement that has been made and move forward. So it is
a process that has been initiated and it is continuing and, God willing, we
will see it to the end,” he said.

When asked if Nigeria is actually ready to mend fences, Mr.
Niboro said: “the acting president made it clear that all leaders should be
diplomatic in their comments about other nations, that there are certain kinds
of statement that you can make that can substantially ruffle feathers in other
nations. So he actually said that there should be an effort from all other
leaders to be a little circumspect over the affairs of other nations.”

The peace process, he said, is brokered by the president of Liberia ‘to
reinstate African unity, and to move ahead.’ “The Liberian president is worried
about the statements that the Libyan president made and their potential effect
on African unity and that is why she came and has made this commendable effort
to broker this peace,” he said.