United States Embassy (Abidjan)
7 March 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.
Tension between President Gbagbo and his Prime Minister; the general elections; Cote d'Ivoire and France relationship; and the embezzlement of customs agents war allowances are today's front-page stories in Ivorian daily newspapers.
1. In a front-page story, Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily) reported on the announcement by Gnamien Konan, the Director General of Ivorian Customs, to run for president. According to the paper, Mr. Gnamien wants to be president in order to change things in the country. He is quoted as saying: "When politicians will govern their nation as if they were worshiping God, then the path that leads to prosperity will be open to all humanity."
The paper also reported that Prime Minister Soro went to Gabon yesterday to meet President Bongo in order to warm up the relations between the two countries before the Ivorian presidential elections, which will take place this year.
2. In Le Nouveau Réveil (a daily close to the former ruling party PDCI) the front-page story is: "Gbagbo-Soro, everything is mixed up; why the clash is unavoidable." According to the paper, after Gbagbo's interview on the UNOCI, (the U.N radio) the hostility between Gbagbo and Soro is back. Remarks made by Gbagbo in response to questions during the interview showed that the two do not have the same perception and vision of the peace process. And the paper questions: who will have the last word?
3. A headline in Nuit & Jour (an independent daily) said: "Elections before or after disarmament, Gbagbo-Soro: the war is declared". According to the paper, the romance between the New Forces and the presidential camp is smashing into pieces because of the issue of the election before or after disarmament. The paper said that before the Ouagadougou Agreement, the New Forces stated that they would lay down their arms only after elections. Alassane Ouattara, the leader of RDR, who wants elections to be organized quickly, took Gbagbo and Soro at their words and stated that election without disarmament of ex-combatants was perfectly possible.
4. In L'Inter (an independent daily), the paper reported that during a signing ceremony last Wednesday between the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training and the Program for Reinsertion and Community Rehabilitation, Mr.Dosso, Minister of Technical Education and Vocational Training confirmed what was rumors in the Ivorian opinion about the real dates of elections. He is quoted as saying: "For me, a program must be spread on a minimum of ten years. It must go beyond the people who signed the Agreement. It must go on beyond our mission which I would say will go until 2010."
The paper also reported that the Minister of Justice wants to extend the delay of the public hearings (audiences foraines) because out of 111 teams deployed to do the job only 18 have finished their mission. According to the paper, the Minister also said that some political parties as well as a mission of the Special Representative of the facilitator have requested that the hearings delay be prolonged because the teams have not yet reached all the populations, specifically those living in the countryside. But the Prime Minister asked him to consult the facilitator in order to see if something can be done regarding the elections date in order to avoid tensions.
5. "On the Cote d'Ivoire-France relationship, a front-page story in Le Temps (a daily close to Gbagbo) said: Cote d'Ivoire-France/Thaw and charming operations; here's why Sarkozy had his speech read by Gbagbo." According to the paper, President Gbagbo said that during Sarkozy's visit in South Africa, before he spoke at the Parliament, he gave a copy of his speech regarding military and defense agreement to three African Heads of state, including Gbagbo himself. The paper said Gbagbo told Sarkozy that if he said that in Pretoria, he would be congratulated by Thabo Mbeki because it is one of the topics they have often discussed.
6. On the war funds embezzlement, a headline in Le Jour (a daily close to the opposition) reads - "Embezzlement of customs Agents war allowances, Mangou and Gnamien Konan accused." According to the paper, the Ivorian customs are on strike for one week because of the non-payment of their war allowances. They accused their director general and the Chief of staff of the Ivorian army of having embezzled their war allowances.
7. Le Jour (a daily close to the opposition) reported that an American NGO called International Relief Committee (IRC) signed an agreement protocol with the Ministry of technical training in order to rehabilitate five training centers in western and northern Cote d'Ivoire.
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