Leadership (Abuja)
Sabastian Junger
15 March 2008
Contrary to the generally held view that the French government was solidly behind its colony in the dispute over ownership of the Bakassi Peninsula, the French ambassador to Nigeria, Jean-Michel Dumond has said that his country had no hand in Nigeria's loss of the area to Cameroon.
In an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Abuja, the ambassador maintained that France was not responsible for the final outcome of the dispute which favoured Cameroon as held by a good number of Nigerians.
The ambassador, who was granting a first formal interview with the media since presenting his letters of credence to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, argued that France could not have been responsible for the Bakassi issue.
He noted that the whole issue was about judgement delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ceded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
The ambassador further added that Nigeria was willing to comply with the judgement of the ICJ without any force or armtwisting from anyone, directly or indirectly.
In his words: "What I can say is that there was a judgement delivered by the International Court of Justice, and Nigerian government has obeyed the judgement. It is not us, we never interfered"
Ambassador further added that Bakassi was not the only area covered in the judgement. He noted that the judgement covered a whole wide area, beginning from the Lake Chad down to Bakassi which saw Nigeria also gaining areas from the Cameroonian territory.
He also noted that the concern of his country had always been about stability in the area and the entire West Africa.
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FRENCH AMBASSADOR IS LIEING, FRENCH MAN NEVER SPEAKS TRUTH, SUCH ISTHEIR CULTURE . THEIR LANGUAGE IS SYNONIME WITH DEATH, THROUGH OUT AFRICAM FROM COTE D IVOIRE, TO HUTUS IN RWANDA, FROM BASSA, BAMILEKE IN CAMEROUN AND TO CONGOGOS AND TOGO. SOO, THE FRENCH AMABSSADOR IS LIEING , HOW CAN HE RESPOND TO THE FACT THAT, ITS COLONY IS ACTIVELLY OCCUPYING BRITISH SOUTHERN CAMEROONS, SINCE 1961? HOW CAN MR… [Read Full Text]