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Britain softens, wealth

sanctions on Nigeria

LONDON: Commonwealth ministers have agreed a package of sanctions designed to push renegade Nigeria toward democracy but had to water down the measures after Britain suddenly had second thoughts, officials said.

The eight-nation Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on Tuesday initially decided to impose a ban on air links and to freeze the financial assets of Nigerian leaders abroad in a bid to crack down on the West African oil state.

But the British delegation, led by Foreign Minister Malcolm Rifkind, then began to argue that measures such as these should only be adopted after consultations with the European Union and the United States in order to make the steps more effective.

Debate over the issue raged for several hours beyond the scheduled end of the talks before a compromise was finally agreed on British terms.

"The final document was signed with some considerable disappointment," said an official present at the day-long talks.

CMAG decided on sanctions after Nigeria -- suspended from the Commonwealth last year for executing nine human rights activists -- barred a CMAG fact-finding group in January.

The package of non-binding measures recommended imposing an embargo on arms exports, a ban on all sporting links, cutting down diplomatic missions, imposing visa restrictions on Nigerian leaders and ending military training.

"It is our hope that Nigeria will take this as a message from the Commonwealth to take on the issues," Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge told a late night news conference.

Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, who had pressed for a more wide-ranging package of sanctions from the start, tried to put a brave face on the compromise.

"The fact that the dog walks badly is not the point -- it's the fact that it's walking at all," he told a news conference.

"We're going to keep working on this. We don't live in a perfect world."

Mudenge said the sanctions would start in a month's time to give Nigeria the chance to send a team to discuss the country's suspension from the Commonwealth.

"We remain determined that dialogue is the only policy that can bring about civilian rule in Nigeria," he said.

But whether Nigeria wants to talk is another matter. Lagos has already made clear it does not regard the CMAG as the right Commonwealth body to deal wiith.

The execution of the nine activists, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, who led an environmental campaign against Nigeria's lifeblood oil industry, sparked world outrage.

But CMAG did not discuss the question of an oil embargo, seen as the only measure which could cripple Nigeria.

"We are only really trying to target members of the regime. We are not trying to harm 100 million people," said New Zealand Foreign Minister Don McKinnon.

CMAG comprises Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Ghana, Britain, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada.

The results of the actions proposed against Nigeria will be forwarded to the next Commonwealth heads of government meeting to be held in September 1997 in Edinburgh.-Reuter