United States Embassy (Abidjan)
5 June 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.
Several Ivorian papers, including the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin, today ran commentaries focusing on the ongoing electoral process in the United States. Reports also said the Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, is meeting European Union officials to seek support for the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire. Other reports said that a court in France sentenced the former Ivorian rebel leader, Ibrahim Coulibaly, to four years in prison for coup plotting. A campaign for the respect of Human Rights, the fight against corruption in Cote d'Ivoire and Russia's interests in the Ivorian petrol sector are the other major issues in today's Ivorian press.
1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A prominent story said that barring the unexpected, Illinois Senator Barack Obama will be officially endorsed as the Democrat presidential candidate. According to the paper, President George W. Bush congratulated Senator Obama, who has become the first African American nominee of a major party in any U.S. presidential race. Senator Obama's victory, President Bush reportedly said, showed that the United States has "changed considerably." In a commentary, the paper said that Senator Obama's nomination was "a big lesson in democracy and equal rights" for countries, including Cote d'Ivoire, that were confronted with "an identity problem." The paper went on to comment "Thank God this problem, which had seriously undermined the national cohesion in Cote d'Ivoire, has been solved and the Ivorian opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, has now been allowed to vie for the presidency."
2. Another banner headline that ran across Fraternite Matin said that the European Union is to provide about 337 million US dollars in support of the peace process and development projects in Cote d'Ivoire. According to the paper, this was announced June 4 in Brussels by the EU Aid Commissioner, Louis Michel, during a press conference held after talks with Cote d'Ivoire's Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, who is on a visit to Europe. "We want to show the continuity of our commitment to support the peace process underway in this country. We strongly believe that there is a political will on the part of all key players to work together in order to achieve a lasting peace," the paper quoted the EU Aid Commissioner as saying. The EU also expressed its hopes that the electoral process will be conducted in "good conditions," indicated the paper.
3. Several Ivorian papers, including the independent daily L'inter, informed readers that a court in France sentenced on June 4 the former Ivorian rebel leader, Ibrahim Coulibaly, to four years in prison for coup plotting. According to the paper, Ibrahim Coulibaly, alias IB, was tried in absentia. The court also convicted seven other people and gave them sentences ranging from a 12-month suspended jail term to 30 months in prison, while five others were acquitted, reported the paper.
4. In a separate story, L'inter hinted that soldiers based in a military barrack in Abidjan are threatening to go on rampage on June 6 to demand food allowances. According to the paper, the disgruntled soldiers supported government troops in fighting the former rebellion in Cote d'Ivoire. "We left the frontlines last February. We were promised that our food allowances would be paid. As of May 2008, we've got nothing and we now realize that the high military command is fooling us," the paper quoted one of the disgruntled soldiers as saying.
5. L'intelligent d'Abidjan (a privately-owned daily): The paper quoted Ali Ouattara, leader of a group called "Ivorian Coalition for the International Criminal Court," as saying, "Impunity is the main obstacle to a lasting peace in Cote d'Ivoire." According to the paper, the Ivorian activist is pushing for a visit to Cote d'Ivoire by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. On the amnesty law that was passed by the Ivorian authorities, Ouattara said: "No amnesty law should cover war crimes like genocide, as well as other crimes against humanity, in Cote d'Ivoire and elsewhere in the world."
6. Nord-Sud Quotidien (a pro-opposition daily): In a front-page item, the paper questioned whether President Laurent Gbagbo is "able" to combat corruption within the army, when he is not prepared to provide the necessary means to eradicate the "cancer." In a related development, another pro-opposition daily, Le Patriote, floated the opinion that President Gbagbo's move to fight corruption was "politically motivated." Still on the issue of corruption, Le Jour Plus (a daily close to the opposition) said that the entrance examination to the national police academy has been halted following reports that the enrollment fees were "embezzled."
7. On economic issues, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) reported that Russian businessmen want to inject about 295 million US dollars into the petrol sector in Cote d'Ivoire. The announcement was made yesterday by the chairman of Lukoil Overseas Holding after talks with President Gbagbo in Abidjan.
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