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| | Billington | Letter from Niger (I) |
 | | Thus, although I had barely recovered from jet lag, I was happy to accept Ambassador Barbro Owens-Kirkpatricks invitation to go along with her to Agadez, in northern Niger, where she and her diplomatic colleagues had been invited to an important ceremony marking the end of the Tuareg rebellion and restoration of peace to the region. |
 | | Agadez, the provincial capital and economic hub of northern Niger, is 937 kilometers (562 miles) from Niamey on a road that is paved but so deteriorated along its first 400 km that all-terrain vehicles are needed. |
 | | We reached Agadez just after dark and checked into the hotel, small and Sahara-rustic but adequate to reasonable Western needs, with air-conditioning, flush toilets, a shower, clean linen, and even a mini-fridge with Cokes and mineral water. |
| www.unc.edu /depts/diplomat/AD_Issues/amdipl_17/letters/nigerltr1.html (1823 words) |
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