United States Embassy (Abidjan)
22 April 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.
The American electoral process was again one of the major stories in L'inter, a privately-owned daily. The visit of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to Cote d'Ivoire slated for tomorrow; the high cost of basic food commodities; strike actions in the Ivorian education system; and the general political atmosphere in the country are the major news stories in today's Ivorian newspapers.
1. L'inter (a privately-owned daily): As the battle ground is set for a "crucial vote" today in Pennsylvania as part of the Democratic presidential primary, L'inter's political reporter Felix Diby Bony suggested that Hillary Clinton faces "a big challenge." According to the reporter, "The American former First Lady, whose victory was predicted by the opinion polls, has to win with a significant margin if she wants stay in the race for the nomination as the flagbearer for the Democratic Party." Bony also suggested that Clinton's defeat or a small victory would force the former First Lady to abandon the party and bid good luck to Senator Barrack Obama."
2. The two rivals rounded up their campaigning yesterday and are now looking forward to the electorate to deciding on their "fate," L'inter reported. The report also said that Clinton needs to win at least by ten percentage points to be able to continue. Bony went on to predict that, with the support of the Senator, Governor and the Mayor of Pennsylvania, Clinton is "poised for victory." The paper also highlighted the strong support from the Clinton family, especially the daughter and Bill Clinton, the former American President.
3. In a different development, L'inter reported that Human Rights Watch, a leading human rights watchdog, called on the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to address "the issue of impunity" in Cote d'Ivoire. The paper said, in a statement, the organization called on the UN Secretary General to take "meaningful and concrete steps" to ensure that the authorities in Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia move "from rhetoric to action" in pursuing people accused of major human rights abuses. The UN Secretary General is currently in Liberia as part of a four-nation regional tour and is due to arrive in Cote d'Ivoire Wednesday, in a bid to consolidate peace in the two West African countries, where UN peacekeeping forces have been deployed.
4. Still on human rights in Cote d'Ivoire, Soir Info (a privately-owned daily), reported that a former Ivorian Human Rights Minister said that the visit of the UN Secretary General to Cote d'Ivoire may not have any "impact" on the peace underway in this country.
5. In a prominent item in its front page, Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) said that the visit of the UN Secretary General to Cote d'Ivoire is a sign that this West African country is again "a good destination for travelers." According to the paper, Ban is coming to Cote d'Ivoire to express the UN's "full support" to the peace process underway in this country. The paper further speculated that this visit would send "a strong signal" to the international community especially to donors that now it is time for them to move from promises "to concrete actions" by financing the post-conflict reconstruction projects in Cote d'Ivoire.
6. A prominent story in Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) said that consumer associations are again threatening to stage demonstration as businessmen ignore government's decision to reduce the prices of basic food commodities in Cote d'Ivoire. According to the paper, consumers have launched a protest that they called "three-day without business in Cote d'Ivoire", beginning today.
7. Also reporting on the same subject, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA) said that the Federation of Active Consumer Associations of Cote d'Ivoire has called for a three-day nationwide action to protest the non application of government's measures designed to scale down the prices of food commodities.
8. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A front-page story in the paper said that public primary schools throughout Cote d'Ivoire have been closed since yesterday, because teachers have been embarked on a three-day nationwide strike to press for salary increases.
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