Amin 'will attend’

Press, 1 June 1977, Page 8

Amin 'will attend’

NZPA London The Ugandan President (Field-Marshal Idi Amin) will go to London for the Commonwealth summit meeting this month, bringing his own British and Ugandan security guards with him, a spokesman said on television in London on Monday night. Mr Idi Osman, who acts for President Amin in Britain after Britain’s severance of diplomatic relations with his Government last July 28. said that the Ugandan leader would attend even if the British Government says it cannot guarantee his safety. The spokesman said that the President would take his own security guards consisting of British nationals as well as Ugandan citizens, but has not yet picked a date for his arrival for the talks, which begin next Wednesday. The summit of the 36nation Commonwealth, of which Uganda is a member, is scheduled to be held June 8 to 16. Mr Osman added that President Amin had no fears for his life during the planned visit. Mr Osman agreed in the British Broadcasting Corpora>tion interview that Fieldi Marshal Amin’s presence [might touch off demonstrations, but said that they would have a very limited effect. Several groups have threatened protest demonstrations if President Amin attends. Mr Osman added that Third World countries had encouraged President Amin to attend the conference.