Abidjan, 12 May 2010... The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire will leave for New York at the end of the week to take part in a high-level meeting chaired by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, the Spokesman for the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), Hamadoun Touré announced today in Ouangolodougou, 624 km north of Abidjan.

Speaking during the Mission's weekly press conference, the Spokesman said that the New York meeting will discuss the Ivorian peace process among other issues. In this regard, he added, Mr. Choi is carrying out consultations with the political actors to see how UNOCI can contribute to giving new impetus to the electoral dynamic and at the same time help to end the current political impasse.

Mr. Touré recalled that Mr. Choi's discussion with the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), Henri Konan Bédié, was part of these consultations which are set to continue.

Turning to the resumption of the appeals process on the electoral list, the Spokesman announced that UNOCI had responded favourably to a request from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to transport the grey list to 415 local electoral commissions throughout Côte d'Ivoire. He said the list had been reprinted by SAGEM and handed over to the IEC on 7 May 2010. The national institutions have been working since 10 May to package the grey list, he said, adding the completion of this process was a necessary precondition for transportation by UNOCI.

Mr. Touré reaffirmed UNOCI's availability to support the IEC in this operation after receiving the packaged grey list. He said that UNOCI experts had already drawn up a logistics action plan for the new operation.

On the same issue, he expressed UNOCI's concerns over the delays in the execution of tasks identified by the national institutions as a condition for the resumption of the work of the claims committees. This is with regard to the designation and training of the representatives of the institutions involved in working on the grey list, informing and sensitizing the population, resolving financial issues as well as evaluating the system at the coordination centre.

The spokesman said that UNOCI had taken note of the IEC's firm determination to continue its mission independently and in the spirit of consensus.

With regard to UNOCI's activities with the population, Mr. Touré said that the main event of UNOCI Days in Ouangolodougou, through a discussion forum to exchange views with the population would take place today. He recalled the activities carried out the day before, namely "workshops with traditional chiefs, women, youths and the media on the central theme of the Days: "UNOCI and the population of Ouangolodougou, hand in hand for a peaceful electoral environment".

In answer to a question, Mr. Touré said that the result of UNOCI Days was the creation of appropriate conditions for a peaceful electoral environment.

Responding to other concerns from journalists on various issues, including certification, the Spokesman confirmed that the role entrusted by the Security Council to the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, is to certify the elections. "Making Côte d'Ivoire a territory under trusteeship is inconceivable and undesirable because it is not a failed state", the spokesperson responded when questioned on the possibility of this happening.

Mr. Touré reiterated that the international community was ready to continue to support Côte d'Ivoire to accelerate the crisis-resolution process.