The Nigerian government and rebel militia fighting in the oil-producing Niger Delta agreed a preliminary ceasefire while talks took place on rebel demands for autonomy, a rebel leader said on Wednesday. Warlord Mujahid Dokubo-Asari repeated his warning to foreign oil workers to leave the region, which pumps almost all of Nigeria's 2.3 million barrels per day output, until a final deal was achieved. "We have finished the first round of talks with the Nigerian president. There should be a cessation of hostilities on both sides. Apart from that, we have not agreed anything else for the time being," Asari said. Asari, who leads a militia called the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, had threatened to launch an offensive called Operation Locust Feast on Friday unless a deal was reached on autonomy and oil revenues for the impoverished delta region. "Operation Locust Feast is still dependent on the outcome of the talks. Foreign nationals are still advised to leave the delta because they are part of the overall situation," Asari said. The rebels issued a communique on Monday telling all foreign nationals to leave the delta ahead of what Asari described as an "all-out war on the Nigerian state". Asari said oil companies in the world's seventh largest exporter should shut production. --More 2102 Local Time 1802 GMT
