African foreign ministers try to save OAU summit

November 22, 1982

African foreign ministers held intensive talks Sunday to rescue a summit meeting of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) from a second collapse in four months.

Delegates said informal talks were being held among the 40 nations present to prevent the summit, which is due to open Tuesday, being called off because of deep divisions over the representation of Chad. Fourteen moderate states walked out of the ministerial session Friday to protest a four-day deadlock over the issue, depriving the session of the quorum it required to prepare an agenda for the summit.