Ouagadougou, 16 February 2009...... The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, participated on Monday in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in the sixth session of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (MEC) of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement (OPA), opened under the presidency of the Facilitator of the Inter-Ivorian Direct Dialogue, Burkinabé head of state, Blaise Compaoré.

During the session, Mr. Choi briefed participants on the progress made in the peace process, especially in the electoral process since the signing of the Ouagadougou supplementary agreement on 22 December 2008. He described the fact that some 4,600,000 people had been identified, as a strong signal which should once and for all put to rest the question of "ivoirité", a major sociopolitical issue in Côte d'Ivoire. Congratulating Ivorians and their leaders for this progress, Mr. Choi urged them to continue their efforts. "We hope that the momentum which has been established in the ongoing process would be maintained until identification is complete in Spring of this year," he said.

With all that has been achieved so far, Mr. Choi said that nothing should stop the publication of a viable electoral timetable with precise stages. This, he added, would restore the confidence of Ivorians as well as the international community. In this regard, he stressed that "working out an electoral timetable with precise stages and timelines, was of crucial importance, not only to keep up the momentum of the electoral process but also to allow for better planning, thus avoid unnecessary delays".

In connection with the redeployment of the administration and disarmament, as stipulated in the 4th supplementary agreement of Ouagadougou, the Special Representative gave the assurance that his institution would continue with its mission to wait and observe the progress in these two components. He recalled that UNOCI's support had made the reintegration of ex-combatants and militias possible, through its "Operation 1000 microprojets" which had already benefitted more than 1,200 Ivorians.

Mr. Choi also explained that despite the decision taken by the UN Security Council to reduce the number of UNOCI troops by one battalion, the Mission would continue with its role to guarantee peace and security for the peace process "through the mobility of its force and the inter-mission cooperation with the UN Mission in Liberia", he added.

Earlier, President Compaoré called on the Ivorian parties to carry out "a diligent implementation" of the 4th supplementary agreement of Ouagadougou, which they signed on 22 December 2008 and which aims to resolve military issues and the definitive reunification of the country. Stating that the implementation of the supplementary agreement needed funding, he launched an appeal to the financial partners of the peace process. "I encourage Côte d'Ivoire and its economic and financial partners to meet this challenge in order to achieve and consolidate a return to a definitive peace", he said.

He congratulated the international community, especially the United Nations, on its efforts and welcomed the progress made so far in the identification and voter registration operation.

Ivorian Prime Minister Guillaume Soro took part in the sixth session of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee of the International Consultative Organ comprising UNOCI, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and France. The bilateral donors, which are Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Norway as well as the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF), were also represented at the meeting.