United States Embassy (Abidjan)
26 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. Today's Ivoirian press is concerned about the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire after the 4th meeting of the committee overseeing the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement slid into difficulties. President Laurent Gbagbo's state visit to the north of Cote d'Ivoire is also a top story in the papers.
2. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A banner headline that runs across the paper says that President Laurent Gbagbo and his Prime Minister Guillaume Soro have been called to the rescue after the 4th meeting of the committee overseeing the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, which took place last week in Ouagadougou, ran into difficulties over "the identification issue".
3. Citing reliable sources, Fraternite Matin announces that Gbagbo and Soro are expected in the Burkinabe capital on Tuesday [tomorrow] to meet President Blaise Compaore - facilitator in the Ivoirian peace process -- in a bid "to iron out differences" that occurred during last week's meeting. At a time when the Ouagadougou Political Agreement has reached "a turning point," Fraternite Matin is optimistic that Gbagbo and Soro would be able to resolve "the deadlock."
4. In a related development, Fraternite Matin tells readers that the Ivorian Minister of Economy and Finance, Charles Diby Koffi, and Amadou Kone, Minister of African Integration, traveled on Saturday to Ouagadougou, where they met with President Compaore on the progress of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement and also on ways to finance the peace process. The two ministers, who were carrying a message from President Gbagbo to his Burkinabe counterpart, "reassured the facilitator on the Ivoirian authorities' willingness to accomplish the peace process," reports the paper.
5. According to the paper, the Ivorian Minister of Economy and Finance also reassured Compaore of the Ivorian authorities' preparedness "to find ways to finance the peace process in case the international community fails to live up to its promises." The Ouagadougou Political Agreement, indicates the paper, is hitting against "the thorny issue of financing, especially the part to be paid by the government of Cote d'Ivoire, which the Prime Minister estimated at 89 billion Francs CFA."
6. A front-page story in Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA), says that the 4th meeting of the committee overseeing the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement is due to resume today in Ouagadougou. According to the paper, last week's meeting in Ouagadougou "collapsed" following a bill drafted by the Minister of Interior enabling the National Statistics Institute (INS) to play a leading role in the reconstruction of voters' register.
7. A front-page story in Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) says that "4,000 security and defense forces will be deployed in northern Cote d'Ivoire to ensure security during President Gbagbo's visit in the region." The paper then questions the sense of "this huge military deployment," wondering whether Gbagbo was preparing "a war."
8. Meanwhile, Fraternite Matin carries a two-page report saying that the populations in the north of Cote d'Ivoire are ready to welcome Gbagbo. Charles Ble Goude, leader of the Young Patriots (a movement close to Gbagbo), who is also involved in the preparations for the presidential visit, is quoted as saying, "No Ivorian has the right to frustrate the Ouagadougou Political Agreement."
9. Le Matin d'Abidjan (a daily close to Gbagbo) carries a banner headline reading: "Alassane Dramane Ouattara is waging a campaign designed to boycott Gbagbo's visit to the north."
10. As the Ivoirian President is set to travel to the northern part of the country - his first visit since the beginning of the political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire --, L'inter (a privately-owned daily) hints that "a coup is being prepared."
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