Minneapolis spokesman., 1962-02-16

Conference and the two groups OF
states were in opposition to one
another. Also the English-spealSing
African states, except for Ghana,
were not aligned in either group
although all independent African
states accepted the ideals aimed at,
at least in theory.
i It was to bridge this gap that
the Monrovia Conference Of May,
1861 was called. 1t was certainly
the biggest and most comprehen-
sive Conference Of African inde-
pendent states up to date. It was
attended by Cameroun, Togo, Sene-
gal, Congo (Brazzaville), Daho-
mey, Niger, Upper Volta, Ivory
Coast, Tchad, Central African Re-
public, Gabon, Mauritania, NAL
agasy, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sierra
Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Lydia and
Tunisia.
1t was sponsored by six states,
representing all the existing shades
of political groupings; two Brazza-
vile States (Ivory Coast and Cam
eroun), two Casablanca States
Guinea and MalD and two un-
committed States Liberia and Nj
geria).
All six states at first agreed to
co-sponsor the conference, but at
a meeting in Accra, few days be-
fore the opening Of the Conference,
the two Casablanca States were
persuaded to back out.
The Monrovia Conference, like
the Casablanca Conference, also
set up its Committee of experts
who met at Dakar and produced
what are known as the Dakar Rec.
concentrations. They were similar
to the Conakry Recommendations
but they covered a much wider
field.
The general field covered by the
Monrovia Conference was much
the same as that covered by the
Casablanca Conference except fol
one Solemn Affirmation adopted al
Monrovia that the following prin-
ciples shall govern relationship be.
tween Afric an and Malagasy
States:
"D Absolute equality Of Afri-
can and Malagasy States, what.
ever the size of their territory,
density of their populations or
value Of their possessions; (2)
non-interference in the internal af-
fairs of States; (3) respect for the
sovereignty of each State and its
inalienable right to existence and
development of its personality; az
unqualified condemnation of out
side subversive action by neigh
bouring States"
There is no such Solmen Affirm
alton in the. resolutions and rec
concentrations of the Casablanca
Conference.
On the other hand, the Casa
blanca Group can point out that
they had all made similar resolu-
tions in respect to all states in the
world, by virtue of their member
ship of the United in the United
Nations Organization. They can
say 1t never occurred to them when
they had already promised not to
be wolves to any state in the world,
that anybody would require them
to make a specific promise In rela-
ton to their fellow African States.
The Monrovia States are not so
sure, though they would feel 1t
highly undiplomatic to say so OPEN
ly. Morocco's avowed intent to
swallow up Mauritania on the
grounds that 1t Is historically part
of Morocco does not add to their
confidence and, to be frank, not a
few West Africans suspect Presi-
dent Nkrumah Of expansionist ten
denotes and his attitude to the
Togo Government ever since Togo
became independent tends to con-
firm these tendencies. There Is
also a tendency among Nigerians,
who successfully practice liberal
democracy as understood in the
British tradition, to feel that those
who do not respect the liberty of
the subject at home may easily be
tempted to destroy the liberty of
weak states, If they can get away
with 1t.
This perhaps Is not quite fair,
as Tubman Of Liberia Is equally
contemptuous Of personal liberty
in his own country. The surest way
to find oneself in jail in Liberia is
to be an active and vocal member
of the opposition. Tubman's bitter
est opponent, Didhwo Tive, had to
flee the Land Of Liberty" after
accusing President Tubman Of op-
Grating an unscruplous one-man
dictatorship. He was to have been
sent to the gallows, but managed
to escape in disguise as a fisher
man and cross the Sierra Leone
border.
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