Kabbah optimistic after African visits

President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah returned home yesterday after a three-day vsit to Togo, Nigeria and Ghana, Sierra Leone radio reported. In all three countries, he discussed the peace process underway in his nation and pledged “never to abandon Sierra Leone to the hands of evil forces”. Nigerian president-elect Olusegun Obasanjo was quoted as saying that Abuja could not keep its troops indefinitely in Sierra Leone, but that there would not be an immediate withdrawal. Nigeria has suggested it may pull its 10,000 troops out of the ECOMOG intervention force by 29 May, when civilian rule is ushered in. Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, Kabbah said ongoing contacts with jailed Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader Foday Sankoh confirmed that the country was ready for a peace dialogue. According to Ghanaian radio, Kabbah said there was “some measure of trust” between him and Sankoh “which needs to be nurtured”. Other news reports quoted Kabbah as saying he might be willing to release Sankoh. “If I have to use my clemency to release Sankoh in order to bring a lasting solution to my country, I will do that,” he said.