United States Embassy (Abidjan)
11 October 2007
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
1. The Ivoirian press ponders the war of words opposing the ruling FPI party and the opposition groups, while the UN releases a report highlighting the situation in Cote d'Ivoire, almost eight months after the signing of the Ouagadougou Agreement. Meanwhile, reports on an alleged money laundering and fraud in connection with the purchasing of a chocolate factory in Fulton, in the state of New York, hit the headlines again.
2. The scandal of "an alleged money laundering and fraud," is the major story in Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition. Telling readers his side of the story, the Chairman of the ruling FPI party, Pascal Affi N'Guessan, said: "This matter is scandalous." N'Guessan doubts that this important money transaction between Cote d'Ivoire and the United States would be marred with frauds without any reactions from the American authorities, monetary institutions and the ministry of agriculture.
3. A front-page story in 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition, says "The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, is concerned about the situation in Cote d'Ivoire due to the delay in the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement." The paper publishes the full text of the UN report, saying: "Despite the relative calm in Cote d'Ivoire, the UN Secretary General called upon the stakeholders to continue the implementation of the accord, and expressed his concern about the continuing violations of Human Rights." The paper quotes Ban Ki-Moon as saying, "The peace process and the improvement of the security situation remain unstable, as there is no sign of clear-cut progress."
4. While the Ivoirian authorities are trying to push forward the peace process, a front-page story in Soir Info says that prospective candidates for the 2008 presidential election are engaged in what the paper calls "a war of words over who'll win the poll." The paper hints that, "The potential candidates are using tribal, ethnic, and religious considerations to self-proclaim president, even before the poll is conducted."
5. According to Fraternite Matin, a state-owned daily, the public identity hearings are scheduled to start today in Yamoussoukro, the political capital of Cote d'Ivoire. Meanwhile, the Ivoirian opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara hopes that the operation would not serve as "an opportunity for frauds," reports the paper. Against this background, the paper suggests that, "The leader of the RDR opposition party and the Ivoirian President Laurent Gbagbo are now speaking with one voice on this issue."
6. South Africa and Benin support the Ivoirian peace process, reports Fraternite Matin. According to the paper, the issue was atop discussions yesterday between the Ivoirian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, and the South African and Beninois defense ministers. Regarding the case of the former Ivoirian coup leader, Ibrahim Coulibaly, who currently lives in exile in Cotonou, the Beninois defense minister, is quoted as saying: "He's not incarcerated. It's true that he lives in Benin but we're watching him."
7. In a related development, Le Courrier d'Abidjan, a daily close to the Ivoirian leader, reports that a delegation from Carter Center met yesterday with the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Robert Mambe Beugre to assess the Ivoirian electoral process. Elaborating on the team's expertise on electoral issues, Mambe Beugre told the paper that: "This team had in the past worked during electoral periods in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Liberia, and it envisages working with Cote d'Ivoire."
8. According to Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, an Evaluation and Oversight Commission, which was set up as part of the Ouagadougou Agreement is due to meet tomorrow in the Burkinabe capital to assess the situation on the ground.
9. Le Front carries another major item explaining how "The Reformers - the ruling FPI party - have damaged the image of Cote d'Ivoire." The paper denounces "the death squadron, power confiscation, toxic wastes scandal, corruption, forgery, embezzlement, nepotism...," which, it says, are "crimes committed under Gbagbo's regime."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 United States Embassy. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
