Audience with president Bédié - Choi: « A consensus and a compromise is emerging »
Le Mandat -« Yesterday, Tuesday 23 February, Y. J. Choi was once again met with President Henri Konan Bédié. The discussions between the two men focused on the outcome of the crisis caused by the dissolution of the Government and the IEC. According to Mr. Choi, a compromise is being found by the protagonists. "We discussed the means to unblock the political situation. I closely listened to President Bédié explanation. It is not up to us to tell you what is happening because we are here to accompany the Ivorian actors according to the terms of the Ouagadougou Agreement. Speaking on the turmoil which is going on in the country, Ban Ki Moon's representative wanted to be very clear: The violence has to stop now. Today I sent my deputy Abou Moussa to Daloa where to express our condolences and sympathy for those who were killed or injured. We must preserve the achievements including the provisional electoral list.[...] »

Prime Minister Soro Guillaume: "We give ourselves 48 hours to complete the government"
Le Nouveau Réveil -« Is the Rhdp having problems choosing names? Or did it propose names which were refused?
(...) At a time when negotiations are continuing, I would not like to enter into the details.
But as I said just now, the Government that I have just proposed and which I have read is accordance with the agreements which we signed and to be practical, it is not the first government that we have put in place. We are addressing the leaders of the ten signatories of the Ouagadougou Agreement. The leaders of the political forces have proposed names to us. And the Prime Minister and the head of State are having discussions with the personalities who proposed the names. As I said for the time being, these are the people who have already been validated. Other names have yet to be validated and designated. For others, the discussions are still continuing. So we still give ourselves 48 hours. [...] »

Formation of new government: A one-legged government without Rhdp and Pit
Le Nouveau Réveil -« Without ceremony, without photo opportunity, without a shadow of a minister, without a council of ministers, without drums and trumpet, Soro's second government was born yesterday after several postponements, under very difficult conditions, even if not by ceasarian. Consequently, this premature new born, a one-legged government or if you like half and half to quote an artist. If there is not a minimum of agreement, we will not get there. The decision of the opposition has been observed by five out of five. The basic structure of the new governmental team was presented yesterday together with the ministries that have been allocated to the Rhdp and the Pit. The political opposition refusing to submit to the whims of the head of state, who came into the game by refusing some of its proposals. Yesterday afternoon, around 17 hours, Guillaume Soro having made all attempts to try to convince Bédié and Ouattara both of whom he had visited. Instead of having the names apart from those which Gbagbo had rejected, he should have asked the Rhdp to propose interims for the posts which were given to them. No, Bédié and Ouattara had replied. Gbagbo who also was not willing to concede and who had wanted to present the government instructed Soro to make public half of the Government. In the new government, Gbagbo has gotten rid of all the Fpi dinosaurs, Léon Monnet Emmanuel, Hubert Oulaye and Sébastien Dano Djédjé. In contrast he has shown confidence in some old friends, Amani N'guessan, Désiré Tagro, Guiriéoulou Emile and Benjamin Yapo Atsé have made their entry. Augustin Kouadio Komoé is minister of energy and mines. Christine Adjobi keeps her post. On the Forces nouvelles side, those remaining are Louis André Dakoury Tabley, Koné Amadou and Youssouf Soumahoro. The Prime Minister wants to be optimistic. But will he be able to complete his team on Thursday as he announced? [...] »
List of new government: http://news.abidjan.net/h/357750.html?n=357750\

The RHDP and the PIT in conclave yesterday / Pr. Alphonse Djédjé Mady, chairman of the RHDP leadership: "The RHDP and the PIT maintain the decision until the IEC is implemented"
Le Nouveau Réveil - « The chairmen of the RHDP and PIT met yesterday morning in the house of President Henri Konan Bédié in Cocody. This meeting follows the meetings which chairmen Bédié and Ouattara had held last Sunday and Monday with the President of Faso and Facilitator of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, Blaise Compaoré,. And in conformity with the statement by the RDR's chairman to the press at the end of the meeting with Blaise Compaoré in Hotel Pullman, saying that the other members of the RHDP and the PIT will be informed of the achievements made in the discussions with the Facilitator, the meeting held yesterday allowed the Ivorian opposition to reaffirm once again its priority, the reinstatement of the Independent Electoral Commission. On their behalf the chairman of the RHDP's leadership, Pr. Alphonse Djédjé Mady, made the following statement to the press at the end of their meeting which lasted one hour and half.

Mr. Chairman, what is the conclusion of this meeting? Do you know the position of the RHDP and the PIT? Namely prioritizing the electoral process and secondly, the formation of the government. (...)

Do you have guarantees for the composition of the Independent Electoral Commission so that it can be reinstated? This is why we said that we will change our decision only when the Independent Electoral Commission is effective in starting its work. Does it mean that you have no political guarantee? Listen, political history proves that we should not rely on political guarantees but on facts."

Chairman Anaky Kobena writes to Prime Minister Soro: "The MFA will not join the government"
Le Nouveau Réveil - "The MFA welcomes the fact that the extraordinary session of the Permanent Consultative Framework (CPC), which was held on this Monday 22 February 2010 in Abidjan, resulted in an agreement to reinstate the IEC, the main concern of the RHDP which has been mobilizing supporters during the past week.
But on the issue of the participation in the government, the MFA regrets to decline your proposal, in the knowledge that the principal persons involved in this decision, namely the Ivorian people, will be able to understand it. First of all, when the MFA made its new year address to the Ivorian nation in January 2009, the MFA announced his withdrawal from the government and invited its partners in the RHDP to do the same. This decision stemmed from the fact that the political opposition composed of the RHDP should stop its complicity in the catastrophic management by Laurent Gbagbo, but especially withdraw from the obvious will of the presidential camp to delay the holding of the presidential election. These reasons are still there and almost all have worsened. So through solidarity with the Ivorian people's distress, it is not possible to continue to work in a government under the authority of Laurent Gbagbo. [...]"