By Thomas W. Lippman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 10, 1998; Page A01

The Clinton administration moved quickly yesterday to offer improved ties with Nigeria's military government if it frees political prisoners and moves toward democratic reform, but remarks by the country's new military ruler held little promise of a swift return to civilian rule.

Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, sworn in as president yesterday to succeed Gen. Sani Abacha, who died unexpectedly Monday, pledged to continue the political "transition" set in motion by Abacha. But he gave no hint that the process, which had made Abacha the lone presidential candidate in an election set for August, would bring substantive change.

The administration described Abacha's death as an opportunity for Nigeria to end the nearly total estrangement between the two countries. It may also present the United States with alternatives to its policy of isolating the Abacha regime, which had little apparent impact on Nigeria's record of human rights violations, political repression, corruption and drug trafficking.

In a televised address last night, Abubakar offered no details of his plans for the scheduled election and made no commitment to release political detainees. Pro-democracy activists in Nigeria called for rallies on Friday to push for a restoration of civilian government [Details, Page A22].

Abubakar, described by current and former U.S. officials who know him as a competent career officer who received military training in the United States, has "a historic opportunity to open the political process and institute a swift and credible transition to civilian democratic rule," State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said.

Rubin said that a high-level U.S. delegation, to be led by Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering, may go to Nigeria to convey directly to Abubakar the U.S. conditions for improved relations, including a possible easing of sanctions that bar Nigeria's ruling elite from entering this country.

Pickering had planned to go to Nigeria this week to deliver the message that Abacha's repressive policies and his rigging of the coming presidential election were threatening to destabilize his country and much of West Africa. But the mission was canceled when Nigeria demanded the easing of visa restrictions on its senior officials in exchange for granting visas to Pickering and his team, U.S. officials said.

"We were not prepared to meet the conditions the previous government had set forth for such a meeting," Rubin said. "So the fact of a new leadership opens the opportunity for them to permit such a mission, and that's certainly under consideration."

In his speech last night, Abubakar said he would carry out by October the transition to civilian rule that Abacha had pledged. But the United States had rejected Abacha's plan as a sham because all five legal political parties had endorsed him as their presidential candidate.

Rubin and other U.S. officials made clear that Washington will not accept as legitimate any transition that does not open the election lists to legitimate civilian candidates.

A credible transition, Rubin said, requires "three things: first, freeing political prisoners; second, ensuring respect for the basic freedoms of speech, press and assembly; and third, returning the Nigerian army to its rightful position as a professional armed force committed to defending the constitution and civilian rule." The army has ruled Nigeria for 28 of its 38 years of independence.

Jesse L. Jackson, President Clinton's special envoy for African democracy, said in a statement that "some of the most notable leaders -- Moshood Abiola, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, labor leaders and petroleum [industry] leaders -- are in jail. They must be released and permitted to seek the Nigerian presidency."

Because Abubakar is a career soldier with no political track record, U.S. officials acknowledged that they cannot yet evaluate his desire, or his ability, to end the military's grip on Nigerian political and economic life.

Unlike many officers in Abacha's inner circle, however, he is thought to hold friendly views toward the United States, a belief based on his exposure to the U.S. armed forces. According to the Pentagon, Abubakar took the advanced infantry officer course and airborne training at Fort Benning, Ga., in 1975 and 1976, studied at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., the following year, and later took the International Defense Management course in Monterey, Calif.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," said James Woods, formerly the Pentagon's top Africa analyst, now an independent consultant, who said he met Abubakar in December. "Given the chance, this guy might do the right thing."

According to Dapo Olorunyomi, an independent Nigerian journalist, the first test of Abubakar's intentions could come Friday, the fifth anniversary of the military's annulment of a presidential election in which Abiola, a wealthy publishing executive, was the apparent victor. Abiola proclaimed himself Nigeria's legitimate president, only to be thrown into prison by Abacha.

Large-scale pro-democracy demonstrations have been planned to mark the anniversary, Olorunyomi said. If Abubakar permits them to proceed without interference by the armed forces, it will be a signal that he intends to follow a less repressive course, Olorunyomi and others said.

U.S. officials did not offer any specific inducements to Abubakar or promise any immediate easing of U.S. sanctions if he frees political prisoners or opens the election to civilians.