United States Embassy (Abidjan)
17 July 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 two-day strike action called by Cote d'Ivoire General Union of Workers (UGTCI) and the strike staged by taxi and minibus drivers to protest recent fuel price hikes were the major stories in today's Ivorian newspapers. A meeting yesterday between President Laurent Gbagbo and Y.J. Choi, the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative in Cote d'Ivoire, on the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire was also covered. Soir Info, an independent newspaper, and Le Patriote, close to the opposition RDR Party, also reported on a meeting between a delegation from the United States' Embassy in Abidjan and the leadership of the New Forces in Bouake.
1. Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party): In a prominent story, the paper announced that taxi and minibus drivers suspended their strike. According to the paper, the announcement was made by leaders of drivers' unions following their meeting with President Laurent Gbagbo yesterday. "Drivers and unions called off the strike," reported Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily), which published on its front page a picture of President Gbagbo flanked by leaders of drivers' unions. The paper quoted one of the leaders as saying, "the breakthrough came after intense bargaining," adding, "we are, therefore, urging all our colleagues to resume work tomorrow [July 17] and to look forward to the outcome of our discussions with the head of state." According to the paper, a second round of negotiations has been slated for July 18 between the Ivorian leader and drivers.
2. L'intelligent d'Abidjan (a privately-owned daily): A banner headline on the front page of this paper said: "The government disapproves of the strike called by UGTCI to protest over the high cost of living." In a statement, the government said: "This strike completely violates the spirit and letter of Ivorian legislation, because it does not respect the legal deadline of six days. Nothing prevents the UGTCI from respecting the six-day deadline and entering into discussions with the employers as envisaged by the law." The Minister of Public Service and Employment, Hubert Oulaye, also invited the leaders of the union to negotiate with him as early as tomorrow [July 17] so as to examine the points of concern to be submitted to the government.
3. In a related development, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) said that UGTCI has maintained its two-day nationwide strike despite the government's declaration that the movement is "illegal." The paper called the decision by Dignite, another leading workers' union in Cote d'Ivoire, to dissociate itself from the movement as "a betrayal." In a statement, published by the paper, Dignite called on workers to ignore a 48-hour nationwide strike as of today called by UGTCI. Meanwhile, the paper published another statement issued by the Ivorian Workers Party (PTI) saying "the PIT supports the action of UGTCI in its quest for well-being and social justice." In a prominent story, L'inter (an independent newspaper) noted that trade unions are not speaking with one voice as to how to resolve the high cost of living in Cote d'Ivoire.
4. On the Ivorian peace process, Fraternite Matin said the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative in Cote d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, expressed concerns about the delay in the beginning of the identification program. According to the paper, Mr. Choi, who was speaking after meeting President Gbagbo yesterday, said: "I hope the identification program will start soon so as to meet the deadline of August 30, the date on which the provisional voters' register should be published." Mr. Choi reportedly described the identification process as "a key step" that will enable Cote d'Ivoire to respect the date of November 30 set for the presidential elections.
Media Coverage of Embassy's Activities
Soir Info (an independent daily) and Le Patriote (close to the RDR opposition party) carried a report on a meeting between a joint delegation from the United States Embassy and the Carter Foundation led by DCM Cynthia Akuetteh and the leadership of the New Forces on July 15 in Bouake. According to the paper, discussion focused on the peace process and the preparation and supervision of the upcoming elections. The positive report also said that the American delegation visited the Western-central city of Seguela, where disgruntled former New Forces' fighters went on rampage a couple of weeks ago. [Note: Both papers copied their information from the website of the New Forces www.fninfo.ci]
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