In an interview yesterday with the French wire service RFI, Charles Ble Goude, former president Laurent Gbagbo's right-hand man and leader of the "Young Patriots," said he is ready to stand before the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in violence that followed the 2010 presidential elections. "I am ready to turn myself in to the ICC for the truth to triumph...I am not a criminal," Le Temps (p. 6) reported him as saying. "The world must know what actually happened in Cote d'Ivoire," he reportedly said.

Still on the issue, Soir Info (p. 3) noted that Mr. Ble Goude denounced the government's rhetoric of reconciliation which he said does not go along with its actions aimed at silencing political opponents. According to Ble Goude, only an amnesty ordered by the government can facilitate his return to his homeland country."It is up to the government to decide whether or not I will be useful for the reconciliation process...As for me, I am watching," he reportedly said.

This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The opinions expressed in these reviews in no way reflect the views of the United States Government and are presented for informational purposes only. The accuracy of reports contained in this summary has not been confirmed by the Embassy.