United States Embassy (Abidjan)
7 January 2008
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 major stories in today's papers focused on Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore's (the key mediator in the Ivorian crisis) request for Cote d'Ivoire's political stakeholders to meet in Ouagadougou, later this month; the arrest of a French journalist, who has been accused of security breach; and the efforts by Ivorian intelligence in tracking down Ibrahim Coulibaly, a former army sergeant, who is accused of having masterminded recent riots in Bouake, a New Forces' stronghold.
2. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): In a headline story, the paper reported on President Blaise Compaore's request. The paper said "in the perspective of the upcoming elections in Cote d'Ivoire, the mediator in the Ivorian crisis has called Ivorian political stakeholders for "two crucial meetings" slated for January 14 and January 24 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso." According to the paper, this announcement was made yesterday by the Burkinabe Foreign Affairs Minister, Djibril Bassole, after a meeting with President Laurent Gbagbo in Abidjan.
3. Fraternite Matin quoted Bassole as saying, "The Ouagadougou meetings are intended to assess the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, because we've now reached a critical phase, which is the preparation of the electoral process." According to the paper, Bassole also announced that he will be meeting with the Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro "probably" today, and he will also invite the Ivorian former President Henri Konan Bedie and Alassane Dramane Ouattara, leader of the opposition RDR party to this meeting.
4. In a separate but related story, Fraternite Matin reported on the Burkinabe Foreign Affairs Minister reaction to recent disturbances in Bouake in which Ibrahim Coulibaly, a former army sergeant and an arch-rival of Soro, stands accused. According to the paper, Bassole said, "It would be good if there could be a direct dialogue between the Secretary General of the New Forces - Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro - and Coulibaly aka IB."
5. The paper also reported that the Burkinabe Foreign Affairs Minister quickly injected caution as to whether "it was necessary today to engage a new negotiation at this level of the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire." The paper further quoted the Foreign Minister as saying "I think those who are willing to see peace and stability return to Cote d'Ivoire must get involved in the national dialogue between President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. I think if our brother IB is willing to take part in the peace process, the political process, it is advisable for him to take part in the current peace process."
6. Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) reported that Gbagbo's intelligence is "hunting down" Ibrahim Coulibaly in both Benin and Ghana in connection with a recent aborted coup in Cote d'Ivoire.
7. On a security - related story, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) reported that "Jean-Paul Ney, a French journalist, who was arrested December 27, 2007 in Abidjan, is still in police custody pending investigations for an alleged security breach."
8. On the same subject in a front-page story, Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) called the French journalist "a spy and a henchman of Ibrahim Coulibaly." The paper alleged that before his arrival in Cote d'Ivoire, Jean-Paul Ney and the Ivorian former army sergeant spent many days together in Cotonou, Benin.
9. Le Temps (a daily close to Gbagbo): In a front-page item, the paper reported on Gbagbo's stance on coup plotters. The paper said Gbagbo vowed at a political rally that "We shall fight coup plotters." According to the paper, Sidiki Konate, the spokesperson of the New Forces, who was also present at the rally, concurred by saying, "war is no more possible in Cote d'Ivoire."
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