Foreign Affairs Minister Ojo Maduekwe will meet with Malawi President and Chairman of African Union Bingu wa Mutharika to discuss the recent military coup in Niger Republic.

The military intervention in Niger was condemned by both the AU and ECOWAS. The military ousted President Mamadou Tandja who had changed the constitution to stay in office past the end of two terms.

Ojo, who has embarked on tour of a five South African countries with first stopover be in Malawi, is expected to hold talks on issues of multilateral and bilateral interests. He will also meet with the Malawi Foreign Minister.

The Minister will also visit Mozambique, Angola, Namibia and Botswana.

Meanwhile, Niger's Junta leader Salou Djibo said on state radio that no member of the junta will stand in the presidential elections it has promised to hold.

Niger's newly-appointed civilian Prime Minister Mahamadou Danda urged his military bosses this week to ensure a swift return to democratic rule, a call echoed by the international community.

In a related development, four parties of the former ruling coalition in Niger, known as Daraja, PDP Annour, PMT Albarka and Uni-Independants, have condemned the use of arms in resolving political differences and called for the release of deposed President Mamadou Tandja, and all the other people arrested following the coup d'etat of Feb. 18.