Nigeria would not refuse Commonwealth officials .
LAGOS 1996-08-29
Nigeria would not object to a visit by Commonwealth officials but insists its suspension from the organisation be resolved before any other questions are addressed , Foreign Minister Tom Ikimi said on Thursday .
Ikimi reiterated his position that the Commonwealth had no mandate to send a fact-finding mission .
" The request I have received is for their officials to come and talk to my officials .
We cannot object to people wanting to visit Nigeria , " Ikimi told Reuters by telephone from the capital Abuja .
" The fundamental problem we have with the Commonwealth is our unfair suspension .
Any discussions we have at ministerial level will be a continuation of what we began in London on that .
Before that is accomplished we cannot address anything else . "
Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth in November after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other minority rights activists in defiance of international pleas for clemency .
A meeting of Commonwealth ministers in London on Wednesday said it planned to send a team of senior officials to Nigeria as soon as possible to persuade Abuja to accept a fact-finding mission .
The timing of that mission has yet to be determined .
The latest diplomatic row between Nigeria 's military government and the club of Britain and its former colonies erupted over the terms of a visit by Commonwealth ministers to discuss Nigeria 's suspension .
Nigeria said they would be restricted to a two-day meeting with government officials , but the Commonwealth said it wanted to hold meetings with people outside the government and called off the visit .