Abidjan, 11 July 2013 Press release: After assuming office on Monday 8 July 2013, the Special Representative of UN Secretary-General for Cote d'Ivoire, Mrs. Aïchatou Mindaoudou was received in audience today by Ivorian President Alassane Ouaattara.



"I came to pay my respects to the President and to express my readiness to assist Cote d'Ivoire in the peace, reconciliation, and development processes it has undertaken," Mrs. Mindaoudou declared at the end of the meeting.



Since her arrival in the country on 5 July, the new Representative of Ban ki-Moon in Cote d'Ivoire has embarked on a number of meetings with Ivorian authorities as well as members of the diplomatic corps. She has already paid courtesy calls on Ivorian Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan and Foreign Minister Charles Koffi Diby.



Mrs. Mindaoudou was appointed by the UN Secretary-General on 17 may 2013, making her the fifth UN Special envoy for Cote d'Ivoire and Chief of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) since the deployment of the Mission in 2004.