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BBC NEWS: Thursday, 17 February, 2005, 14:17 GMT

Embattled Togo leader in Nigeria

Togo's new head of state has arrived in Nigeria for talks with the Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo. African leaders have condemned the army-backed moves to install Faure Gnassingbe as president following his father's death.

On Wednesday night, he failed to make a promised address to the nation in a response to a West African ultimatum that fresh elections be held.

At least four people have been killed in protests against the "coup".

The opposition have said they will hold mass funerals for the protestors, but government has warned them not to make political capital out of them.

The constitution was changed after the death of President Gnassingbe Eyadema to allow his son to serve out his father's term of office, which ran until 2008.

Optimism

Mr Faure was met in the Nigerian capital, Abuja by Nigeria's Foreign Minister Olu Adeniji and whisked away to State House to meet President Obasanjo - the current chairman of the African Union.

The talks are likely to focus on how soon Togo can hold elections and choose a new leader.  Analysts say Togo succession is proving a real test for African leaders, and in particular for the AU, in proving to the West it can safeguard good governance and democracy on the continent.

Mr Faure met West African envoys on Tuesday in Lome - in talks described as "very fruitful and encouraging".

The meeting came as an ultimatum by Ecowas - the 15-member Economic Community of West African States - threatening Togo with sanctions unless it returned to constitutional order by the end of Tuesday expired.

"They gave us the impression that they will go back to the constitution but there are still some details on which we have to wait until they announce it," Mr Adeniji told AFP.

But Mr Faure's anticipated speech did not take place on Wednesday as expected and a government official said the authorities had not confirmed that it would happen.

Apology

Before the talks, Mr Obasanjo said it was going to be "a family meeting".

"In a situation where the family meets to put its heads together and do what is right, how it is right and when it is right," he told reporters.

According to the BBC's Anna Borzello in Nigeria, these are some of the most conciliatory remarks the Nigerian president has made on Togo since the crisis began 11 days ago.

Earlier, Nigeria said it had received an apology from Togo over the treatment of a group of Nigerian officials whose aircraft was prevented from landing in the Togolese capital last week.

Meanwhile, a crackdown on private media continued on Tuesday with the closure of one television and three radio stations for "financial reasons", AFP reports, bringing to eight the number of stations shut down in the past 10 days.

The new leader has already promised "free and fair" elections soon - but correspondents say he may be referring to parliamentary polls due this year, rather than a presidential ballot.

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