allAfrica.com: Côte d'Ivoire: American Embassy's National Daily Press Review (Page 1 of 1)

This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

Tuesday's Ivorian press reported on Prime Minister Guillaume Soro's interview, which was published in a French newspaper. The papers also devoted many columns to the general political atmosphere in Cote d'Ivoire with much focus on the upcoming presidential elections; one reported on Cote d'Ivoire's efforts on debt relief under the international institutions' Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

1. L'inter (a privately-owned daily): With a picture of the Ivorian Prime Minister on the front-page, the paper told readers that Soro has unveiled his political agenda, in an interview granted to the French newspaper Jeune Afrique. According to the paper, Soro said "the New Forces, which was an armed movement, is now becoming a responsible and credible force capable to manage the state's affairs. For the mean time, our future is not the order of the day. Let's wait till the wake of the presidential elections to talk about that." Talking about the ongoing debate on whether there should be disarmament before the elections or not, Soro said that "it's unfair to say that the New Forces are unwilling to lay down their guns." He also indicated that "despite the fact that the government is finding it difficult to provide allowances promised to be paid to the dismantled former combatants, the New Forces continue the cantonment of its soldiers." "There were no weapons in Kenya, but 1,500 people were killed," the Ivorian Prime Minister was quoted as saying.

2. "2008 presidential elections: Soro unveils his ambition," said a prominent headline in Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party). According to the paper, the Ivorian Prime Minister promised to clearly make public his political ambitions after the upcoming presidential elections. "The Ouagadougou Political Agreement does not allow me to stand for presidency. I'm eager to see the elections to be completed in order to finally make known the ambitions that I have for my country," Soro is quoted as saying. He also reportedly said: "If the future elected president proposes to work with the New Forces to manage the country, we'll see what we can do."

3. Regarding his relationship with other political forces in Cote d'Ivoire - notably the opposition Rally of the Republicans (RDR) --, after he signed a comprehensive peace agreement with President Laurent Gbagbo, Soro said: "I'm not the rival of Alassane Dramane Ouattara (the leader of RDR)," reported Le Patriote (a daily close to the RDR party). "My rapports with Alassane Dramane Ouattara are good. He was part of those who encouraged me to resume dialogue with Gbagbo," the Ivorian Premier is reported as saying.

4. Meanwhile, Nuit et Jour (a daily close to the opposition) alleged that the Ivorian First Lady, Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, is maneuvering "to remove Soro out of office." According to the paper, "the First Lady has never accepted the nomination of the leader of the New Forces as the Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire, because he [Soro] and his men have saddened the image of President Gbagbo."

5. In a separate development, L'intelligent d'Abidjan (a privately-owned daily) informed readers that Gbagbo is expected in South Africa today to meet with President Thabo Mbeki. The paper said the main purpose of Gbagbo's visit is to seek support from his peers including Omar Bongo Omdinba of Gabon and Mbeki "to step up pressure on Soro to organize the upcoming elections in June this year, otherwise he [Gbagbo] can no longer partner with Soro."

6. A recent announcement by the Director of Ivorian Customs Services that he will stand for presidency has triggered a hot debate in the local dailies, especially Le Jour Plus, which called the presidential hopeful "the fourth political force in Cote d'Ivoire." According to this daily, which is close to the opposition, Gnamien Konan's decision, which had apparently "amused the doubting Thomas," has sparked what the paper called "an exceptional mobilization." Many observers, suggested the paper, now believe that "the man has a great chance to change the political landscape in Cote d'Ivoire," as he stands as "the fourth political figure" in the running for the office of the president.

7. On the economic front, Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily), reported that an agreement signed this year between Cote d'Ivoire and international financial institutions on economic reforms could allow the country to benefit a substantial debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The paper said the announcement was made by Ivorian Minister of Finance, Charles Koffi Diby, during a conference in Abidjan. Diby announced that the access to this program would help scale down the debt to be serviced by Cote d'Ivoire by 15 per cent a year.

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