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

Today's Ivorian press was again dominated by the results of an opinion poll showing Gbagbo ahead in voting intentions. New developments in Gbagbo-Sarkozy relations; the visit of the President of African Development Bank to Cote d'Ivoire and other reports on economic issues; the strike launched heavy truck drivers to protest against harassment and efforts to reinforce military cooperation between the United States and Libya were the other major news items.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): The paper devoted its front page to a recent opinion poll showing the score of each of the three main candidates in the November 29 presidential elections. The poll was conducted by Tns-Sofres [a French institution]. It showed President Laurent Gbagbo comfortably in the lead in the upcoming elections with 43 percent of voting intentions as against 29 percent for the Ivorian former President Henri Konan Bedie. The main opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, got 28 percent. According to the paper, these results were a subject of critical analysis in French weekly newspaper Jeune Afrique which quoted an official close to the survey institution as saying: "The population sample used during the poll was representative." The paper pointed out that this survey, which was conducted before the official electoral campaign in Cote d'Ivoire, showed that a second round would be "necessary" in the upcoming presidential elections.

2. More on this controversial opinion poll, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) noted that the survey further showed that 61 percent of the polled population had "a good opinion" of Gbagbo. This result, the paper commented, owes much to the popularity of the Ivorian incumbent president, who it called "a grass-roots candidate."

3. Still on this opinion poll, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) told readers a different story. The paper suggested that only the results of 2001 municipal elections, which were won by the opposition RDR party, should be used to measure the popularity of any political parties in this country. In a front-page story, Soir Info (an independent daily) indicated that even if the results of the poll have become a subject of controversy, it however showed that the three main presidential hopefuls [Gbagbo, Bedie and Ouattara] still have a lot of work to do. The poll had proved that none of them could win an upright victory in the coming elections, the paper further suggested.

4. On another development, L'inter (an independent daily) informed readers that the Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, is mediating between Presidents Gbagbo and Sarkozy after the latter was quoted as saying about his counterpart: "This man is not trustworthy." The paper quoted a reliable source as saying that Mr. Soro will try to convince the French authorities that President Gbagbo was sincere when he promised to hold elections on November 29.

5. On economic issues, L'inter reported that as part of his working visit to Cote d'Ivoire, the President of African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, held talks yesterday with Ivorian authorities including the Minister of Planning and Development, Paul-Antoine Bohoun Bouabre. According to the report, Mr. Kaberuka commended the government and all Ivorians for the efforts they have made at the political and economic fronts, to pave the way for the normalization of relations with the international financial community.

6. A report in Fraternite Matin said that Finance Ministers of UEMOA (West African Economic and Monetary Union) meeting in Abidjan have decided to inject FCFA 900 billion (about $1.9 billion) into the region's economy in an attempt to bail out its economy. According to the report, this decision forms part of urgent measures to be put in place in order to resolve the region's debt problems. The paper cited a communique issued at the end of the meeting saying that this money represents two-thirds of the UEMOA's total domestic debt.

7. A report in Fraternite Matin said that many carriers and heavy truck drivers have gone on strike to protest against harassment especially racketeering. According to the report, the movement, which was launched by the National Union of Road Carriers of Cote d'Ivoire, has seriously disrupted activities at the Abidjan's main Port.

8. Finally, a report in L'inter said that the United States would like greater military cooperation with Libya especially in the fight against terrorism. "We want a strengthened cooperation in the military," the paper quoted Jeffrey Feltman, acting US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs as saying. "Libya and the United States are aware of the danger posed by Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb," the U.S. diplomat was further quoted as saying during a press conference in Tripoli.