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.

Ivorian newspapers today announced that Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, left Abidjan yesterday for the Middle-East to seek funds for the peace process in Cote d'Ivoire. The papers also reported on the opening of the first session of the National Assembly, which will occur tomorrow in Yamoussoukro. Some papers reported that the Code of Good Conduct that was signed last week by the political stakeholders in Cote d'Ivoire has been already violated.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): "Financing of the peace process: Soro is in search of support in the Middle-East," said a prominent headline in the paper. According to the paper, the Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, left Abidjan yesterday for a 10-day visit to the Middle-East, where "he will be meeting with officials of the Kuwait Fund and the Islamic Bank." The paper said that Soro will visit Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Soro, who is accompanied by a delegation of prominent individuals, such as the President of the Imams Council of Cote d'Ivoire, Cheick Aboubakar Fofana, will attend the International Islamic Economic Forum in Kuwait. The paper further suggested that the Ivorian Prime Minister's visit would help strengthen the "good relationship" between Cote d'Ivoire and the Middle-East. The paper also said that Soro will use the opportunity to thank officials in the Middle-East for their "support" during the crisis that Cote d'Ivoire has faced since September 19, 2002; he will also "to ask them support the peace process underway in the West African country."

2. "Soro in the countries of petrodollars," said a banner headline in Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party). The paper published the full text of the statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister in relation to his visit to the Middle-East. The dailies quoted insiders as saying that, "The head of the Ivorian transitional government is in search of financing not only for the peace process but also for the post-crisis projects in Cote d'Ivoire."

3. In a front-page item, Fraternite Matin informed readers that the 2008 first session of the Ivoirian National Assembly is due to open tomorrow in the new Parliament House in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire's political capital. The paper's regional reporter suggested that by conveying this special session in Yamoussoukro, the Ivorian lawmakers want to send "a strong signal that the country has been re-unified." For the populations in Yamoussoukro, the reporter went on, "This is another signal that President Laurent Gbagbo's plan to transfer of the Ivorian capital from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro is becoming more and more palpable."

4. L'inter (a privately-owned daily): The paper expressed concerns about the respect of the Code of Good Conduct that was signed last week by the political stakeholders. Commenting on the political rally held last weekend by the former Ivorian President Henri Konan Bedie, the paper indicated that "Bedie violated the article 4 of the Code." According to the paper, Bedie did not "mince his words" when he was addressing supporters during the rally. "He criticized the current FPI regime using rhetoric that contradicts the Code of Good Conduct." L'inter quoted the Ivorian former Head of State as saying, "Cote d'Ivoire is a Republic where one cannot accept anti-democratic leaders, who have been established by the use of force and ruse, who maintain their grip on the power through violence, bloodshed, and refuse to go to elections." [NOTE: Article 4: The signatories agree to avoid the use of all forms of violence and pledge to exercise restraint in their utterances, writings, attitude, and behavior and to respect the opinions of others; to fight violence, intimidation, vandalism, crime, and public disorder.]

5. Bedie's rally over the weekend was also a subject of a front-page story in Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party). The headline said: "Bedie who has virtually lost popularity has opted for chaos." The paper also alleged that Bedie, who is also the President of the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, is calling for "violence." "Bedie has torn apart the Code of Good Conduct, a day after the UN Secretary General left the country," said another banner headline carried by Le Matin d'Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI party).

6. Speaking to Fraternite Matin, the former Ivorian Prime Minister, Charles Konan Banny, who is also a cadre of the PDCI-RDA party, contracted the assertions in L'inter. The paper quoted Banny as saying, "Bedie has a sound understanding of a State and a Nation."

web allafrica.com	Enter your search terms	Submit search form
OR subscribers use AllAfrica's premium search engine


Use our pull-down menus to find more stories