United States Embassy (Abidjan)
25 February 2008
press release
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Ivorian press reported that President Laurent Gbagbo is due to meet today in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso with the Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kan on how to finance the peace process in Cote d'Ivoire. Papers also reported that, Ivorian youths from various political parties, meeting over the weekend, pledged to help restore peace in Cote d'Ivoire. The debate over whether to complete or not the disarmament program before the upcoming elections continues to dominate commentaries in today's dailies.
1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A prominent item on the front page of the paper said that in a bid to find ways "to accelerate the peace process [in Cote d'Ivoire], Gbagbo and Strauss-Kan are set to meet today." According to the paper, the Ivorian leader, who arrived yesterday in Ouagadougou to attend a joint meeting between UEMOA - The West African Economic and Monetary Union - and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will use the opportunity to seek for financial assistance from the Breton Woods institutions - the principal international donors - in support of the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire. The paper further commented that the meeting between the Ivorian president and the director of IMF would signal that "confidence" has been restored between Cote d'Ivoire and the Breton Woods institutions.
2. Another prominent story on the front-page of Fraternite Matin was about "a pledge" made by youths from major political parties in Cote d'Ivoire "to put aside their partisan interests in favor of the national interests." The Youths, reported the paper, made this commitment at the end of a seminar initiated by the Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro. The conclave brought together youths from the ruling FPI party, PDCI-RDA, the former ruling party; the opposition RDR party; MFA, Movement of the Forces of the Future and youths from the New Forces, who committed themselves "to work together in order to bring back unity to Cote d'Ivoire," reported the paper. According to the paper, discussions during the two-day seminar focused on how youths in Cote d'Ivoire can contribute to the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement. At the end of the seminar, the youths adopted "a code of good conduct" and set up "a mechanism aimed at encouraging permanent consultations amongst the youths of Cote d'Ivoire," reported the paper.
3. The ongoing fierce debate on whether to complete or not the disarmament program before the upcoming elections is one of the major issues in L'inter (a privately-owned daily). In a front-page item, the paper quoted the Ivorian Defense Minister, Michel Amani N'Guessan, as warning that "there would be no elections without disarmament." Amani N'Guessan, who was speaking at a rally, "rejected any options that seek to organizing the forthcoming elections while ex-combatants are still carrying their guns," reported the paper.
4. Still on the same issue, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) quoted Pascal Affi N'Guessan, the Chairman of FPI as saying "No disarmament, no elections." Speaking on other issues pertaining to the ongoing peace process in Cote d'Ivoire, the political figure warned that any attempt "to sideline" the National Statistics Institute as part of the identification process could result in "questioning the eligibility of Ouattara [the leader of the opposition RDR party]."
5. In another development, Le Jour Plus (a pro-opposition newspaper) carried a front-page story saying that angry 6,500 dockers who work at the port of Abidjan are set to organize today a sit-in at the Ministry of Transports to press for salary increase. According to the paper, since February 20, activities at the port of Abidjan have been crippled as a result of a difference opposing the employers and dockers over their working conditions.
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