United States Embassy (Abidjan)
10 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.
A prominent story on the front page of the state-owned Fraternite Matin said that a multi-billion project aimed at extending the port of Abidjan is due to commence June 11. The visit of French businessmen in Cote d'Ivoire and meetings yesterday between visiting UN Security Council ambassadors and Ivorian political stakeholders on the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire, are the other major stories in today's dailies.
1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): "The decision by the Ivorian Head of State to extend the Abidjan Port Authority in order to respond to Cote d'Ivoire's economic ambitions has now become a reality, as the extension works are due to start tomorrow [June 10]," said the paper. According to the paper, President Laurent Gbagbo will cut the sod June 10 to officially launch the nearly 240 million US dollars-extension project. Upon completion, explained the paper, "The project would help increase the capacity of the Abidjan Port Authority, hence become an international hub and serve as a port for landlocked West African countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger." The paper also quoted an official from the Abidjan Port Authority as saying that "this project would make Cote d'Ivoire an important destination in Africa."
2. In a separate story, Fraternite Matin quoted the head of the visiting French businessmen delegation to Abidjan as saying, "The time for some companies to invest in Cote d'Ivoire has come." According to the paper the delegation of MEDEF - Mouvement des Entreprises de France - is in Cote d'Ivoire for the fourth consecutive times "to gauge the economic environment prevailing in the country." The paper also went on to comment that "As a peace process is being implemented in Cote d'Ivoire, there is a great deal of business opportunities that are offered to foreign investors, especially the French, who have been established in the country since independence." It also reported that about 600 French companies operate in Cote d'Ivoire, and contribute about 30 per cent to the GDP - Gross Domestic Product. "Our interests are linked to those of Cote d'Ivoire, and from this country, we intend to reach out to Ghana and Liberia," the paper quoted the head of the French businessmen delegation as saying.
3. "November 30 presidential elections: UN presses Ivorian political stakeholders to stick to their commitment," said a prominent story on the front page of Nord-Sud Quotidien (a pro-opposition newspaper). According to the paper, the Ivorian political key players as well as leaders of civic groups and commanders of security forces June 9 met with visiting UN Security Council ambassadors to evaluate the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire. The paper quoted the Ivorian opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, as saying after the meeting, "We insisted on the issue regarding the funding of the peace process. We also asked the UN Security Council ambassadors to seriously address the question of security of the presidential candidates and voters."
4. "We are ready to ensuring security during the elections," Fraternite Matin quoted General Philippe Mangou and General Soumaila Bakayoko, commanders of the Defense and Security Forces of Cote d'Ivoire and New Forces Armed Forces respectively as saying. "We have expressed our strong willingness to stand by the impartial troops in securing the elections," General Bakayoko reportedly said. In a separate story, the head of the UN Security Council ambassadors' delegation, Michel Kafando, reportedly said that "The question of funding the electoral process is the major concern for President Gbagbo... because the success of this process depends on whether there would be enough funding to complete it." On the possibility to hold the upcoming presidential elections, the head of the UN Security Council ambassadors' delegation was quoted as saying, "Whatsoever the difficulties that may come up, the President [Gbagbo] is confident that the pools can take place as scheduled on November 30."
5. Finally, a story in L'inter (an independent daily) informed readers that the publisher of this paper, Jean Marie Kouassi Ahoussou was summoned yesterday by the Ivorian Defense Minister, Michel Amani N'Guessan. According to the paper, the minister's order had to do with a story run by L'inter on "plan by some soldiers to set up a union." "The Minister Michel Amani N'Guessan said that L'inter's reports continuously undermined the peace process that he [the minister] has been trying to implement with the soldiers." Representatives of media association and watchdog committees were present at the meeting between the Defense Minister and the publisher.
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