Giscard pledges unlimited help

Press, 22 April 1977, Page 6

Giscard pledges unlimited help

NZPA-Reuter Dakar i | The French President (Mrj Valery Giscard d’Estaing) has pledged unlimited help for any African country threatened by foreign attack or interference. . “Any African State has a right to security within its ; borders whatever its political i system,” he told the opening (session of the fourth Franco- ; African summit in Dakar, ’ Senegal. The President, who last iweek provided an air shuttle i for Moroccan troops rein- | forcing the Zaire Government :which is under rebel attack, added: “Africa must be left to the Africans.” The 18 countries represented at the summit are almost all former French colonies which once had defence agreements allowing French troops to be stationed on their soil. Most of these pacts have since been replaced by military co-operation agreements, such as the one under which

France airlifted the Moroccan jmilitary equipment to Zaire, i Sources at the conference, which will end today, said that States might seek new flexible agreements enabling them to call on- France for assistance in times of trouble. Conference officials said that the leaders had reached ■broad agreement on most questions reviewed here and the summit would end earlier than originally scheduled. The participants agreed . that French technical assisti ance had to be stepped up to • meet the needs of Africa’s : fast-expanding development. , The President of Senegal : (Mr Leopold Senghor, the summit’s host, said . that Africa placed great expectations in the so-called ■ “north-south dialogue” bei tween industrialised and dei veloping countries. He expressed confidence that France would put across the African viewpoint at the summit meeting of industrialised countries in London next month.