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 decision by the National Press Council (CNP), a state-owned print media watchdog committee, to ban some Ivorian newspapers for "illegal operation" triggered reactions in today's press. News reports also said that the French group SAGEM - an institution that has been tasked to conduct the identification of the Ivorian population ahead of the presidential election - and the National Statistics Institute (INS) have reached an agreement on the modalities of how to carry out the program. The issue of corruption; a report of child abuse by UN peacekeepers and aid workers and a spate of malaria in Cote d'Ivoire are the other top stories in today's Ivorian media.

1. L'inter (an independent newspaper): "For illegal operation, some newspapers - including Le Patriote, a daily close to the opposition RDR party - have been closed down today," said a report in this paper. The paper quoted the Chairman of CNP, Eugene Die Kacou, as saying that "this decision to close down these newspapers was taken with the Attorney General's approval... The suspension of these newspapers was supposed to be effected May 2, 2008, but the GEPCI (Groupement des Editeurs de Presse de Cote d'Ivoire) - an association of newspaper publishers - had asked for a reprieve in order to enable defaulting newspapers to abide by the law." Die Kacou, reported the paper, said that "The CNP is looking forward to engaging in a dialogue with the publishers in order to resolve the matter."

2. Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party): A front-page story in this paper said that "the CNP closes down 32 newspapers." The paper quoted the President of GEPCI, Denis Kah Zion, who was commenting on the issue, as saying that "Frankly speaking, this decision of the CNP was legal. Some publishers' operation violates the law. Therefore, the decision that had been taken against us is totally legal because it is in accordance with the law." In a separate interview, the paper quoted the Chief Editor of Le Patriote, Charles Sanga, who called the CNP's decision "arbitrary." Sanga went on to say: "Le Patriote is not illegal," and then vowed: "Tuesday [tomorrow], our newspaper will be published." [NOTE: A source at the CNP said that the newspapers that have been closed down violated Articles 6, 12, and 13 of the Law on the Press in Cote d'Ivoire (Law of 2004 - 643 of December 14, 2004: http://www.lecnp.com/loi/loi_portant_regime_juridique.pdf. These articles deal with registration, the level of capitalization and other issues relating to the nature of the parent publishing company.]

3. L'intelligent d'Abidjan (an independent daily): The paper carried a banner headline reading: "INS and SAGEM have buried the hatchet," as it commented on an agreement reached Friday between the two institutions on the mode of operation of the identification program. According to the paper, the two bodies signed an agreement on how to conduct this operation. It further commented that "through this signature, INS and SAGEM have settled a major problem that would have put in jeopardy the calendar of the peace process and particularly the date of the upcoming presidential election."

4. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): "At long last INS and SAGEM have agreed on a single mode of operation for the identification program," said a prominent story on the front page of the paper. The paper published the full text of a statement issued by the Cabinet of the Prime Minister after the signing of this agreement on May 31, 2008. The paper quoted the statement as saying: "The mode of operation includes three stages: The enrollment of the population, data analysis and establishment of identity documents, notably the national identity cards, voters' register and voters' cards." Excerpts of this statement also said that "This mode of operation has been validated by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), National Identification Office (ONI) and the National Commission for Supervision of Identification. This mode of operation will be transmitted to the government for the purpose of adopting a decree."

5. As preparations for the forthcoming presidential election are underway, a banner headline on the front page of Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) announced that the Ivorian opposition figure, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, has selected cadres of the party to spearhead his political campaign. "We'll do everything possible to win the presidential election," Ouattara was quoted as telling supporters over the weekend in Abidjan.

6. In a prominent story on its front page, Fraternite Matin quoted President Laurent Gbagbo, who vowed "to crackdown" on corruption in Cote d'Ivoire. Gbagbo, who was speaking Saturday in Abidjan at a meeting, called the spate of corruption in his country "a catastrophe." The paper further quoted the Ivorian President as saying: "The public administration is the backbone of the State. If the administration is rotten and if each person is trying to amass wealth to the detriment of the people, then there would be no administration. Result: The State would not exist any longer." Gbagbo also reportedly said that, "The war against corruption would contribute to the resolution of the current political crisis and also help revive the country's economy."

7. In a prominent story, L'inter told readers about the ordeal of Elisabeth, "a 12-year old girl who was gang-raped by ten Blue Helmets in the northwestern region of Cote d'Ivoire." In an item culled from a BBC web site's story on a Save the Children report released recently on abuse of children by UN peacekeepers, the paper quoted Elisabeth as saying: "They grabbed me and threw me to the ground and they forced themselves on me... I tried to escape but there were 10 of them and I could do nothing... I was terrified... Then they just left me there bleeding..." The report further said: "Elizabeth's brutal rape is one of an unknown number of sexual assaults carried out by peacekeepers and aid workers, the very people who are brought in to post-conflict areas around the world to protect the vulnerable."

8. Finally, in its front-page, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) carried an alarming report saying that "the life of 27,000 children is threatened, as malaria is causing havoc in Cote d'Ivoire." According to the paper, this was announced by the Ivorian Health Minister, who said that if no action is taken, "Those children will die before they attain the age of one."