Nigerian deal on disputed peninsula

Border disputes can hinder oil developments

Nigeria and Cameroon have reached agreement to resolve a dispute over the sovereignty of an oil-rich border area.

The United Nations said the countries' presidents had agreed to respect the decision by the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) on the Bakassi Peninsula, which is expected in the next few weeks.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and his Cameroonian counterpart, Paul Biya, also agreed at talks in Paris to discuss the demilitarisation of the peninsula.

Meeting in the presence of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan they agreed not to make inflammatory statements on the issue, and to consider the possibility of deploying international monitors.

President Obasanjo's trip to Paris was not publicised with officials saying they were trying to keep it under wraps.

Oil

The Bakassi Peninsula is in itself a swampy strip of land with little value, but its ownership has implications for fishing and oil rights offshore.

Cameroon first referred the issue to the ICJ in 1994. Hearings were held in The Hague earlier this year.

Large numbers of Nigerian and Cameroonian troops are reported to be in the area and tensions there have been high for years.

The British Foreign Office website says travellers should avoid the area, as "the situation could escalate at any time."

More than 150 Nigerians arrested in the Bakassi region by Cameroonian forces were reported freed earlier this week.