United States Embassy (Abidjan)
2 November 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. Comments in today's Ivoirian press are dominated by the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire with a special focus on President Laurent Gbagbo's upcoming visit to cities in the northern region of the country.
2. In a front-page story, Fraternite Matin, a state-owned daily, quotes the Ivoirian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro as saying, "The visit of President Gbagbo to the north will have positive impacts on the region." Soro, reports the paper, made the statement last Wednesday when he discussed the presidential visit with officials from ten departments located in the New Forces fiefdom.
3. This maiden visit of Gbagbo - the first one since the beginning of the political conflict in Cote d'Ivoire - falls in the line of the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement, writes Fraternite Matin. "For the past two weeks, the security and defense forces from the Ivoirian armed forces and the New Forces, French troops, and United Nations forces have been working to beef up security on the ground. The date of the visit will be announced after security forces submit a report," the paper quotes Soro as saying.
4. Still on the peace process, Fraternite Matin quotes the acting Head of the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire, Abou Moussa, as saying, "I hope that within the upcoming six months, sanctions that have been imposed on Cote d'Ivoire by the UN would be lifted." Speaking after a meeting with Laurent Dona Fologo, President of the Economic and Social Council, Moussa is reported as saying that developments of the Ivorian crisis are "positive".
5. L'inter, a privately-owned daily, also quotes the acting Head of the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire, as saying, "The international community needs to see certain actions implemented in Cote d'Ivoire. A significant progress has been noted in the peace process but there is a need to buttress what has been done so far in order to achieving a lasting peace through free and fair elections."
6. A front-page story in 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition, explains how the Ouagadougou Agreement that was brokered by the Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore has saved the mandate of Gbagbo. After a critical analysis of the recent Resolution of the UN on Cote d'Ivoire, the paper suggests that, the world body through this Resolution has left it to Gbagbo and Soro to follow their own calendar for the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement.
7. According to Le Patriote, a daily close to the opposition RDR party, the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire has made the commitment to encourage women to play a leading role in the peace process. This recommendation was made on Wednesday during the celebration of the UN Day in Yamoussoukro.
8. The controversy over the Gbagbo's plan to suspend the residence permit required for foreigners living on the Ivoirian soil is a front-page story in Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party. According to the paper, the Ivoirian opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, was behind "the concept of xenophobia" in Cote d'Ivoire.
9. Another front-page item in Fraternite Matin says that Gbagbo is preparing a decree to abolish the residence permit. Citing reliable sources, the paper hints that the decree could be signed next week. Fraternite Matin thinks that "if the decree suspending this document is signed, this will help resolve a political problem that has strained relations between Cote d'Ivoire and other countries."
10. In another development, World Partners, a non-profit organization, is to train Ivoirian diplomats serving abroad as part of the country's post-crisis reconstruction program, reports Fraternite Matin. The aim of this training, writes the paper, is to equip the diplomats so that they can market Cote d'Ivoire abroad and to encourage foreign investors to come back to the country.
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.
