Jonathan to Brief UN On Anti-Terror Efforts

This Day

20 September 2011

Jonathan to Brief UN On Anti-Terror Efforts

President Goodluck Jonathan arrived New York, United States, Monday night to attend the 66th General Assembly of the United Nations during which he is scheduled to hold a one-on-one meeting with the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon.

THISDAY learnt Monday that Jonathan will discuss in detail Nigeria's response to the growing threat of terrorism which culminated in the August 26 attack on the UN House in Abuja, leading to the death of at least 23 persons.

The president, according to diplomatic sources, will assure the international community that the security agencies in Nigeria are on top of the situation with the arrest of suspected terrorists operating under the umbrella of Boko Haram

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Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, and US Secretary of State, Senator Hillary Clinton, will meet in Washington next week, THISDAY has learnt.

The meeting, which will hold on Thursday, September 29, at the State Department, is the first meeting that Ashiru will be holding with Clinton since his appointment as Nigeria's foreign minister.

 Sources at the State Department and Nigeria embassy in Washington, DC told THISDAY that the meeting would focus on Nigeria-US Binational Commission, as well as other issues. Clinton and Ashiru would jointly address the press after their meeting.

The Binational Commission agreement was signed in April 2010 and it has four focal points - Good Governance, Transparency, and Integrity; Energy and Investment; Food Security and Agriculture; and Niger Delta and Regional Security.

Since the agreement was signed by Clinton on behalf of US, and the then Secretary to the Federal Government, Ahmed Yayale, on behalf of Nigeria, there had been a series of high-level talks between senior officials of both countries.