Processing of electoral list
appeals - Choi says no to « human cross-checking »

L'Inter -
The Representative of the UN
Secretary-General in Abidjan, Y. J. Choi, is opposed to "human cross-checking"
as proposed by President Laurent Gbagbo with regard to the resumption of the
appeals process. What does he propose? He explains all this in an interview with
the website

www.afreekelection.com

(...) Afreekelection:
Do you agree to a
'human cross-checking » before the production of the definitive electoral list?

Mr. Choi:
No, a cross-checking... everybody agreed on the processing of appeals, that a
negative cross-checking should be applied over 5,300,000 persons. That is to
say, in principle, everybody is all right (editor's note: Ivorian). With
evidence, we determine whether he or she is not actually Ivorian. So we can
cross them out. For the list containing 1,000,000 persons, a positive
cross-checking should be applied. It means that they are not yet cross-checked
and confirmed. It must be proved that they are Ivorians, then they will be added
to the definitive electoral list. (...)

UNOCI wants peaceful election

Nord-Sud -
UNOCI organized recently a leg of its sensitization and information campaign for
peaceful electoral environment called "UNOCI Tour" in Sorobango (northeast of
Abidjan). "Preserve social cohesion during electoral period. Always live in
harmony and do not allow politics to divide you," Joseph Wabatinga of the Public
Information office advised.

Wanda Nesbitt, United States
Ambassador: "Côte d'Ivoire needs election"

Nord-Sud -
After meeting yesterday with Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, the United States
Ambassador, Wanda Nesbitt, reaffirmed the need for our country, to have a
presidential election. "Côte d'Ivoire needs elections," she said after the
meeting. According to Barack Obama's representative, her meeting with Guillaume
Soro was an opportunity for her to have an update on the process regarding
reunification and disarmament. (...) Before she met the Prime Minister, her French
counterpart, Jean Marc Simon, had a meeting with Guillaume Soro. (...)

After meeting with the IEC-
Alphonse Djédjé Mady (Chairman of the RHDP's executive): "The modus operandi
must be respected"

Le Patriote  -
A large delegation from the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP),
led by its chairman, Pr. Alphonse Djédjé Mady, was at the Independent
Electoral Commission yesterday. (...) At the end of the working session, Mr.
Djédjé Mady responded to the journalists' questions. Here is the
 interview:

(...) LP:
What about the audit of the electoral list demanded by the presidential camp?

Alphonse Djédjé Mady:
There is a modus operandi which must be implemented to judge voters' list
appeals. And as Ivorians, we should all understand that the modus operandi was
fixed, in a sovereign manner, following a decree by the President of the
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. It is not a foreign community which imposed the modus
operandi on us. We accepted and agreed to implement the modus operandi. The
appeals must be judged by applying the modus operandi, maybe with certain
adjustments, but the modus operandi must be applied. (...)

The supporters of the Forces
Nouvelles threaten: "No election, no fiftieth anniversary"

L'Inter
 – For Bema Fofana, the
President of this coordination [of supporters of the FN], the elections must be,
without further discussion, the prime commitment of the people involved in the
crisis-resolution process. For this reason, he is very irritated by the fact
that all energies appear to be focuses on the celebration of the fiftieth
anniversary of Côte d'Ivoire's independence. He has warned the presidential
camp, whose entourage subordinates the holding the presidential election to the
disarmament of the Forces Nouvelles. "If there is no election, there will be no
anniversary," he said.  For Bema Fofana, the recent statements by the
presidential camp are only aimed at deliberately blocking the crisis-resolution
process by distorting the recommendations of the Ouagadougou political
agreements. "The recent incendiary statements of Blé Goude are nothing but a
straightforward denial of the Ouagadougou agreements (...)" he added.

How Gbagbo wants to
"liquidate" Compaoré

The Patriot
 - The call by President
Laurent Gbagbo to his Senegalese counterpart Abdoulaye Wade has caused a stir.
Indeed, during the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of Senegal, the
Socialist comrade asked his host, in his own words, to be involved in the
Ivorian peace process, by "talking to one and all." This statement has caused a
public-opinion shockwave because since March 2007, at the initiative of
President Gbagbo through the "direct dialogue" the Head of State of Burkina Faso
is leading the peace process, with the signature of the Ouagadougou Political
Agreement (APO). Does Gbagbo's statement imply the death of the APO and the
sidelining of the Facilitator? According to reliable sources, the source of
discord arose during the last visit of President Gbagbo to Burkina Faso." The
"seplou" of Mama went to Burkina to seek Blaise Compaoré's support to definitely
solve the disputes he has with Prime Minister Guillaume Soro's Forces
Nouvelles.  This military option was rejected by Blaise Compaoré, who believed
the only way to end the crisis was to properly implement the Ouagadougou
Political Agreement. This act of responsibility was not appreciated by the
former historical opponent. Therefore, he chose to irritate the Facilitator by
approaching the President of Senegal. President Gbagbo's call was neither
trivial nor fortuitous. It aims to irritate Blaise Compaoré and to force him to
give up his mediation and preserve his honor. It is no secret for anyone that
there is rivalry between Compaoré and Wade with regard to leadership of the
region.