UNOCI CHIEF AND IVORIAN PRIME MINISTER DISCUSS ELECTORAL PROCESS
Abidjan, 22 October 2008... The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, on Wednesday held discussions with Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro on the crisis-resolution process, with a particular focus on the electoral process.
Speaking after the meeting, the head of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), stressed the need to always have a positive attitude despite the difficulties. With reference to those who have been disrupting the identification operation, the Special Representative appealed for calm and serenity, as he had done in Yamoussoukro on Tuesday, disrupting the operation. "There are isolated sporadic troubles here and there, we need to put an end to these", he added.
Surmising that these troubles were motivated by fear of fraud between the different parties, Mr. Choi reassured the population of the reliability of the identification operation. "We have four layers to protect against fraud, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the technical operator, the international community and UNOCI's certification mandate", said the Special Representative.
He recalled that the final challenges concerning logistics and security would be met through cooperation between the Ivorian people and the international community. In this regard, Mr. Choi reiterated UNOCI's commitment to provide support in order to ensure that Ivorians are able to overcome all the obstacles.
The Special Representative was accompanied by his two deputies, Abou Moussa and Georg Charpentier