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United States Embassy (Abidjan)

Côte d'Ivoire: American Embassy's National Daily Press Review

2 July 2008

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This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

Reports in today's Ivorian newspapers said that the government of Cote d'Ivoire has maintained its decision to suspend taxes on key commodities in response to the hike in food prices. Newspapers also talked about the funding for the Ivorian peace process, especially the upcoming presidential election; the mutiny last weekend in Seguela and Vavoua by disgruntled New Forces former fighters; the ongoing probe in the cocoa and coffee industry; as well as the just concluded African Union Summit in Sharm El-Cheikh, Egypt.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A prominent story on the front page of this paper said that the government of Cote d'Ivoire has maintained the decision it reached on April 1, 2008 to suspend taxes on key commodities in an effort to alleviate the rocketing food prices in this country. According to the paper, this decision involves food commodities, including rice, palm oil, fish and milk. In a statement televised yesterday, the paper said the government reaffirmed that "The negotiations with economic operators in some sectors should guarantee stability in prices." The paper said that the statement also underscored other measures that were taken by the government in a bid "to curtail the rocketing food prices." [NOTE - On April 1, 2008, in response to the high cost of living in Cote d'Ivoire, President Laurent Gbagbo signed a decree cutting taxes by 50% for key food imports, including cooking oil, fish, tomato tins, wheat flour, sugar, rice, and milk.]

2. Fraternite Matin also reported that the question of funding for the Ivorian peace process was a key issue during a July 1 meeting in Bouake between the Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro and representatives of the international community. The representative of the facilitator in the Ivorian peace process, Boureima Badini; the Deputy of the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cote d'Ivoire, Abou Moussa; the French Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire, Andre Janier; as well as military commanders of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and Licorne, the French troops, were in attendance. According to the paper, at the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Soro said "Initiatives are underway to find funding for the peace process." Regarding the electoral process, the paper quoted the Ivorian Prime Minister who said "it's moving forward." On security issues, especially the situation in the cities of Seguela and Vavoua, the Ivorian Premier told reporters that calm has returned to this region, where disgruntled New Forces former fighters recently went on a rampage to demand the payment of their disarmament allowances.

3. Still on the situation in Seguela and Vavoua, Fraternite Matin said that "The New Forces military commander and his soldiers have decided to bury the hatchet and are now smoking the peace pipe." According to the paper, this was announced yesterday after a meeting between the New Forces military leadership and the disgruntled soldiers.

4. On funding for the post-crisis projects in Cote d'Ivoire, Fraternite Matin quoted a government official, who said that "FCFA 3,900 billion will be needed for the program." According to the paper, the announcement was made yesterday after a meeting between an envoy from UNDP and officials at the Ministry of Reconstruction and Reintegration.

5. On donors' contribution, a prominent story in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) said that donors from the Arab world, who met yesterday in Abidjan decided to provide about $ 440 million to support the post-crisis projects in Cote d'Ivoire.

6. L'intelligent d'Abidjan (an independent newspaper): In a front-page story, the paper said that the scheduled November 30 presidential election could be delayed till 2010. It suggested that the continuous rumors of possible cabinet reshuffle were signs that the polls could not be conducted according to plan. It further said that another round of negotiations between the protagonists might be necessary to resolve the political stalemate.

7. On anti-corruption, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) published a front-page story calling President Laurent Gbagbo's anti-corruption crackdown "a titanic struggle." The paper also published a letter from a reader, who called on Ivorians "to support the President's initiative."

8. In response to rumors of possible arrests of government officials in connection with the massive corruption probe into the cocoa and coffee industry in Cote d'Ivoire, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) told readers that the Agriculture Minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly [Campaign Director of the leader of the RDR party, Alassane Dramane Ouattara] was "not involved" in the cocoa and coffee scandal. The paper denounced what it called "a plot" against the minister. The paper further referred to "a presidential decree signed in 2004 that removed the management of the cocoa and coffee sector from the Agriculture Ministry since the nomination of Amadou Gon Coulibaly."

9. Le Jour Plus (another pro-opposition daily) called rumors of the possible arrest of the Agriculture Ministry "a bluff." It also published a copy of a decree, which it said gave "full power to Gbagbo to manage the cocoa and coffee sector."

10. Fraternite Matin devoted two pages to the just-ended African Union Summit at Sharm El-Cheikh in Egypt, where African leaders including President Gbagbo represented their countries. The paper reported that the conference addressed many issues with a special focus on the case of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, whose "controversial re-election was endorsed during the Summit."

Media Coverage of Embassy's Activities

Le Patriote reported today that regional correspondents of major newspapers and producers from a proximity radio in San Pedro watched June 24 a DVC program on the US election. The program, which was organized by the US Embassy in Abidjan, offered the journalists the opportunity to understand the American electoral system and the role of the media during this period. On its web site: www.fratmat.info, the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin reported positively on the program.

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