Abidjan, 2 December 2008...The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Cote d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, on Tuesday met with a 10-member high level delegation of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party, led by its President Affi Nguessan.

At the end of the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, Mr. Affi told journalist that at a time when the country was in the middle of a crisis-resolution process which should culminate in the holding of elections, the visit was in connection with the FPI's latest press conference on the socio- political situation in the country.

Mr. Affi said he was happy that despite some preliminary difficulties, especially with regard to the question of identification and voter registration, the process was now going satisfactorily. Nevertheless, he deplored delays regarding certain issues notably security and the restoration of state authority all over the country, things which are not being carried out at the same pace as the electoral process. "This is of great concern because these are two things that need to come converge in order to guarantee open, free fair and transparent elections", said the President of FPI.

He added that if, as has been said, the crisis stems from badly organized elections, the FPI's wish is that the next elections are held in a transparent, secure and peaceful environment, so that the results will not be contested. For the President of the FPI, the risk of clashes like those which recently took place in Séguéla in the Forces Nouvelles' fief, could prevent the country from reaching its objective if these two preconditions are not met.

He therefore explained that the aim of the meeting was to make their preoccupations known to UNOCI which he said was the eyes and ears of the international community with regard to the resolution of the crisis. He recalled that UNOCI's role was to help Côte d'Ivoire advance on the path to peace. "It is important, as an organization providing support, for UNOCI to see how it can help us ensure that all essential issues are resolved between now and the holding of the elections," said the head of the FPI.

Mr. Affi Nguessan said that the UN Mission's hierarchy had listened attentively to the concerns raised by his party and he recalled the past Mission's efforts to support the peace process, including with regard to the Ouagadougou Political Agreement (OPA). However, he said that "future negotiations must take into account those aspects which seem to us to be delayed or put on the back burner, so that elections take place in a unified, peaceful, normalised country, where the State is present in every part of the country and where the ex-combatants of the Forces Nouvelles have been disarmed and where regular structures ensure security and manage all the State prerogatives".

With regard to the question of disarmament before elections, the President of the FPI insisted that this precondition was non negotiable because it is part of the restoration of the state. This should ensure that there are no armed elements outside the regular army and there is no parallel force working on the ground. "The issue of the restoration of state authority is at the basis of all the agreements, the integrity of the national territory'", he explained.

For the President of the FPI, if territorial integrity is not restored, all the efforts made so far could be ruined, which could give rise to elections that are not equitable since they could be organized in each zone, according to rules that are standardized and could therefore be contested. "The restoration of state authority is provided for in paragraph 4 of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement and is mentioned again in Complementary Agreement 3," he recalled, before mentioning that the redeployment of the administration was scheduled to be completed by the end of January 2008.

Mr. Affi said that it was not the commitments made that were being questioned but rather their implementation on the ground. "The real problem is that these commitments are often not respected. We do not implement the provisions of the agreements that we sign," he pointed out. He concluded by saying that faced with this lack of initiative, the FPI had decided to sound the alarm and to meet with all the parties involved in the Ivorian crisis resolution process. After his encounter with the head of UNOCI, he planned to meet with the Prime Minister, the President and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

The Special Representative recalled UNOCI's accompaniment role in the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement after stressing the importance of holding discussions with the majority party. He said he understood the concerns of the FPI and reaffirmed the UN Mission's determination to continue its efforts to help find a solution that is in the interest of all Ivorians.