While in Niger, Gen. Abubakar and his mediation team are expected to meet with those who were not part of the delegations that visited Abuja last week to meet with him.
The Mediator had met a 22-member Nigerien government delegation in the Nigerian capital 9 Nov., followed three days later by another meeting with 41 representatives of the 'Forces for the Coo rdination of Democracy and the Republic', a coalition of Niger's opposition and civil society groups.
PANA learnt the 'exploratory meetings' are aimed at preparing the parties for the wider ECOWAS Consultative Meeting, which will help to seek ways out of the constitutional crisis in Niger. No date has been fixed for the enlarged meeting.
Niger has been plunged into a crisis after President Mamadou Tandja dissolved parliament and changed the constitution so he can remain in office after his constitutionally-sanctioned two terms run out next month.
ECOWAS suspended Niger's membership 20 Oct., after President Tandja forged ahead with a parliamentary election that was boycotted by the opposition, even after the regional bloc had called for the postponement of the polls.
Lagos - 17/11/2009
Pana
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