World IN BRIEF : TOGO : President Agrees to Crisis Conference

President Gnassingbe Eyadema, faced with mounting pressure to quit, gave in to opposition demands for a national conference to decide Togo’s political future. A joint statement released after crisis talks between Eyadema and leaders of the Democratic Opposition Front, a coalition of 11 opposition parties, said the conference will begin June 24. The coalition also announced an immediate end to a general strike that has crippled the capital, Lome, for a week. Jubilant Togolese rushed into the streets as the news spread. Previously, Eyadema rejected demands for a national conference, saying it would amount to a civilian coup.