Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire, Guillaume Soro, Tuynhuys, Cape Town
20 June 2007
President Thabo Mbeki:
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the press
I was very glad indeed that the Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire Guillaume
Soro was able to come to South Africa for discussions with me. I was very keen
to see him. I have not seen him for some time. We met at the inauguration of
the new President of Nigeria. And indeed, he expressed the same interest as I
did that we should meet. I am therefore very glad that he has been able to come
to South Africa.
Principally, he has briefed me on where we are regarding the transitional
process in Cote d'Ivoire. The Prime Minister has indeed briefed me on these
matters. I am very pleased with the progress that is being made. It is very
good progress. I want to reassure the Prime Minister of our continued interest
in this process in Cote d'Ivoire and our commitment to supporting the Prime
Minister and the processes in the country. As we have been saying in the past,
the resolution of this matter is very important to the people of Cote d'Ivoire,
the region of West Africa and indeed, the whole of Africa.
I must again congratulate you Prime Minister. Good work has been done. We
are displaying a faster pace on progress in the implementation of the peace
process.
Thank you!
Prime Minister Soro:
I came here to greet President Mbeki, to greet him as an elder. As you know
he has long been involved in the process to find peace in Cote d'Ivoire. I also
came to brief him on developments in the peace process. President Mbeki has
always been involved and followed up on developments in the process.
I also came to invite him to the ceremony of the Flame of Peace in Bouake.
We have agreed he will come, although we have to finalise the details around
the date.
I also came to thank him for his support of our peace process.
Thank you!
Questions and answers
Question: Prime Minister Soro, can you please update us on the election
timetable? What progress has been made regarding the citizens who were said to
not have the proper identification documents?
Answer: We have begun the identification process. The first step has been to
deploy magistrates in order to issue these new birth certificates and cards to
all citizens. This has started.
I have also deployed new prefects in all the territories of the country.
This process began on 18 June. The whole process of identification will begin
in earnest before the end of June.
Question: Prime Minister Soro, could you kindly provide an update of the
disarmament process?
Answer: As you know the disarmament process in Cote d'Ivoire has begun by
regrouping the forces in Cote d'Ivoire and this is precisely why I have come to
invite President Mbeki to the ceremony of the Flames of Peace because it is
here that we will begin burning a number of weapons and from this ceremony, the
actual disarmament will begin in all Ivorian territories.
Question: Prime Minister Soro, can you give us a sense of how the visit by
the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation went? Is there agreement
between the government of Cote d'Ivoire (you and the President) and the
Security Council with regard to the continued role of the United Nations (UN)
higher representative for elections and whether the election process should
indeed be overseen by the UN?
Answer: I will speak of the guidance given by President Mbeki in Pretoria in
this regard since this matter has been discussed in Pretoria already.
Indeed, I received a delegation of the UNSC in Abidjan yesterday. Everybody,
i.e. every Ivorian including myself and President Gbagbo is in agreement that
it is necessary for the UN to oversee the electoral process and indeed to
validate these processes.
So the problem that remains is whether the higher representative, the post
of which was created here in Pretoria, is to remain or whether his mission
would be transferred to the special representative of the UN
Secretary-General.
As far as this question is concerned, I believe the UNSC is going to discuss
the matter and take a decision shortly after consultation with the mediator,
President Compoare.
Question: Prime Minister Soro, can you please provide a schedule for the
elections in Cote d'Ivoire?
Answer: (Prime Minister Soro) Elections will be held when all Ivorians are
ready to participate in elections. The main challenge at the moment remains to
ensure peace and security in Cote d'Ivoire. We would want the elections to be a
success. We also have to solve the problem of the army and reunification.
The mediator, President Compoare was in Yamoussoukro two weeks ago and we
discussed the electoral processes.
But actually, it is not for me as the Prime Minister to decide on the date
for elections to be held. There is an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)
and it is this commission that will decide upon a date for elections in Cote
d'Ivoire.
(President Mbeki) Of course, with regard to this matter you must understand
the logic of the process. This matter of identification and registration is
important both for its own sake but also for the purpose of preparing the
voters roll so that we do not have Ivorians who are excluded from voting. So
until you have completed that process, it is difficult to set a date for
elections.
You also then have the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR)
process, the reunification of the country and all other processes of which the
Prime Minister spoke regarding disarmament that must be completed. This process
is beginning in earnest shortly.
All of these processes must be completed to ensure a climate that is
conducive to the holding of elections.
I would imagine that the IEC in COte d'Ivoire will be considering these
matters before it can make an announcement of a date for elections.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
20 June 2007
