LOME, Jan. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met in the Nigerien capital of Niameyon Thursday to discuss development and security in the region.

    President of Niger Mamadou Tandja, who is also ECOWAS chairman, said he was committed to pushing for integration of the 16-member regional bloc, and promoting peace and security in the area.

    The president also welcomed the debt relief decision by rich nations for the least-developed countries, hoping that it would include all of ECOWAS members.

    The G8 leaders endorsed at a July summit in 2005 a plan to cancel all of the debts owed to international institutions by 18 heavily indebted poor countries, most of them in Africa.

    President Tandja also urged ECOWAS members to implement a free trade program for the creation of a single market in West Africa.

    While demanding ECOWAS involvement in the settlement of the political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, he called for national reconciliation in the war-torn country to pave way for a free and democratic presidential election slated in October.

    Cote d'Ivoire slid into a civil war after a foiled coup in September 2002, with rebels holding the country's north and part of the west.

    Presidents of Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali, Joao Bernardo Vieira of Guinea Bissau and Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe of Togo are the top leaders attending the one-day meeting.

    Established on May 28, 1975 in Lagos, then capital of Nigeria, ECOWAS is composed of 16 west African countries with a population of more than 230 million people. Now its headquarters is located in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city. Enditem

LOME, Jan. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met in the Nigerian capital of Niamey on Thursday to discuss development and security in the region.

President of Niger Mamadou Tandja, who is also ECOWAS chairman, said he was committed to pushing for integration of the 16-member regional bloc, and promoting peace and security in the area.

The president also welcomed the debt relief decision by rich nations for the least-developed countries, hoping that it would include all of ECOWAS members.

The G8 leaders endorsed at a July summit in 2005 a plan to cancel all of the debts owed to international institutions by 18 heavily indebted poor countries, most of them in Africa.

President Tandja also urged ECOWAS members to implement a free trade program for the creation of a single market in West Africa.

While demanding ECOWAS involvement in the settlement of the political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, he called for national reconciliation in the war-torn country to pave way for a free and democratic presidential election slated in October.

Cote d'Ivoire slid into a civil war after a foiled coup in September 2002, with rebels holding the country's north and part of the west.

Presidents of Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali, Joao Bernardo Vieira of Guinea Bissau and Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe of Togo are the top leaders attending the one-day meeting.

Established on May 28, 1975 in Lagos, then capital of Nigeria, ECOWAS is composed of 16 west African countries with a population of more than 230 million people. Now its headquarters is located in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city. Enditem