Nigeria
Says Supports
Palestinian
State, As
Editors
Arrested on
Obasanjo
Report
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 12 --
When Nigeria's
foreign
minister
Olugbenga
Ashiru spoke
to the press
after a three
hour Security
Council debate
on Wednesday,
Inner City
Press asked
him to explain
Nigeria's
position on
Palestine's
application to
the Council
for UN
membership.
He
responded that
Nigeria favors
the two state
solution, but
concluded that
his country
supports a
state for
Palestine, so
how it will
vote should be
clear. But is
it?
He
said,
"Nigeria, we
have always
advocated and
supported the
two state
solution... As
regards the
voting, when
that comes,
Nigeria is
going to vote
its national
interest. We
have always
supported the
right of the
Palestinian
people to have
their own
state. So you
should from
that know how
we are going
to vote."
Inner
City Press has
learned that
the next
meeting of the
Council's
Committee on
the Admission
of New Members
will take
place in the
afternoon of
October 13.
The October 7
meeting was
not announced
even by a sign
outside the
room. Will it
be this time?
Hillary
Clinton and Olugbenga
Ashiru,
Palestine vote
not shown
A
Nigerian
journalist
asked
Olugbenga
Ashiru about
the arrest of
editors of The
Nation
newspaper. He
replied that
Nigerian are
free to write
what they
like, but "if
there is
something to
answer for"
there will be
due process
"as in other
countries."
But in many
other
countries
journalists
are not
subject to
arrest, at
least usually,
for what they
write.
The
dispute
concerns
reports that
former
president
Obansanjo
wrote to
current
president
Goodluck
Jonathan
urging changes
in the oil
ministry.
Obansanjo
denies writing
the letter.
But raids and
arrests? Watch
this site.
, 
