Nigeria oil militants say still awaiting talks

ABUJA, Feb 24

Nigeria's main militant group said on Wednesday it was still waiting for negotiations with the government before deciding whether to reinstate a ceasefire in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had seen no progress in the two weeks since Vice President Goodluck Jonathan took over as acting head of state due to the ill-health of President Umaru Yar'Adua.

"The ceasefire is still off. During his two weeks as acting president, Goodluck Jonathan did not reach out to MEND or its mediators," the group said in an email to Reuters.

It declined to make any comment on the return to Nigeria on Wednesday of Yar'Adua after three months of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, saying he had not yet been seen in public.

"Our actions in the Niger Delta will be related to the post-amnesty phase as regards the government's sincerity in addressing the root issues we are agitating for," it said.

-Reuters