United States Embassy (Abidjan)
30 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. For questions regarding this service, please contact: Mr. Teko Folli in the Public Affairs Press Office, TekoFX@state.gov.
The outcomes of President Laurent Gbagbo's three-day official visit to neighboring Burkina Faso and the celebration in Bouake today of the First National Reconciliation and Reunification Day to mark the first anniversary of the Peace Flame ceremony were the major stories in today's Ivorian press. The newspapers also said that the U.N. Security Council on July 29 extended the mandate of a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire ahead of presidential elections scheduled for November 30. The decision by Cote d'Ivoire's General Union of Workers (UGTCI) to call off its strike and a strike at Cote d'Ivoire's main international airport yesterday were the other stories in the dailies. The papers also reported on the photography exhibition on PEPFAR's work to fight HIV/AIDS organized by the U.S. Embassy on July 28.
1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A prominent story in this paper said that Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso yesterday signed in Ouagadougou a landmark cooperation agreement to climax President Gbagbo's three-day State visit to the neighboring country. The peace treaty and the bilateral cooperation agreement seek, among other things, to establish an institutional framework for permanent cooperation, reported the paper. On economic issues, many development projects have been set up to buttress the progress of the two countries, the paper further reported. Regarding the situation of the Burkinabe nationals living in Cote d'Ivoire, the two sides agreed to speed up procedures for the effective implementation of President Gbagbo's recent decision to ban the issuance of resident permits for nationals from West African countries. Reacting to this agreement, President Gbagbo reportedly said: "For me and also for many Ivorians and Burkina Faso nationals, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso are one and the same fatherland in the heart of West Africa because of our long political, economical, social, cultural and human history."
2. Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition): A front-page story in this paper said that the Burkinabe President, Blaise Compaore, is putting pressure on Ivorian political stakeholders to speed up the peace process in their country. "President Compaore called on all the actors in the Cote d'Ivoire crisis and the international community to do everything to make sure the elections will be held on the planned date of November 30," the paper quoted a statement as saying.
3. A banner headline on the front-page of Fraternite Matin announced that Presidents Gbagbo and Compaore are expected today in Bouake to take part in the first anniversary of the "Peace Flame" ceremony that marked the formal end of the war in Cote d'Ivoire. According to the paper, Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure, former Ivorian President Henri Konan Bedie, who is also the chairman of the PDCI-RDA party, and Alassane Dramane Ouattara, leader of the opposition RDR party, have confirmed that they will attend the event in Bouake. Today's celebration will include prayers by different religious groups.
4. L'inter (an independent newspaper): In a front-page story, the paper said that the Security Council yesterday unanimously approved a resolution that renewed the mandates of its operation in Cote d'Ivoire, and of the French forces which back it, until January 31, 2009 to support "free, open, fair and transparent elections" in Cote d'Ivoire. According to the paper the resolution was sponsored by neighboring Burkina Faso, along with France and South Africa.
5. On a different subject, Soir Info (an independent newspaper) announced that the Cote d'Ivoire's General Union of Workers (UGTCI) has called off its strike planned to be held on July 31, after talks with the government. According to the paper, the decision was taken yesterday during an extraordinary assembly in Abidjan.
6. Fraternite Matin also reported that many flights were cancelled yesterday due to a strike at Cote d'Ivoire's main international airport. According to the paper, the movement was staged by employees of ASCENA (Agency for Airborne Security and Navigation in Africa).
Media Coverage of Embassy Activities
Several Ivorian media outlets carried reports on the HIV/AIDS photo exhibition depicting PEPFAR's impact that was organized by the US Embassy on July 28. Reports in L'inter and Le Patriote focused on Ambassador Nesbitt's speech in which she underscored the partnership between the United States and Cote d'Ivoire through the PEPFAR program in fighting the disease. AIP, a state-owned news agency and the Pan-African News Agency (APA)[http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article&id_article=70911 ] also published reports on the exhibition on their web site.
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