On
Cote
d'Ivoire, UNSC Condemns Violence in Abidjan Not Tiebissou,
Exile?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 16 -- Following clashes between supporters
of
Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo, UN Security Council president
Susan Rice read out a Council statement to the Press among other
things condemning the violence in Abidjan.
Inner
City Press
asked if the Council was aware, from the briefing by top UN
peacekeeper Alain Le Roy or otherwise, of clashes elsewhere in Cote
d'Ivoire beyond Abidjan.
Yes,
Ambassador
Rice answered, Mr. Le Roy had spoken of fighting “in the town you
mentioned, forty miles from Yamoussoukro,” the political capital
known for its mega cathedral. The town is Tibeissou.
Some
wondered why
the Council's statement was limited to Abidjan. A Council member's
political coordinator opined that it was because the main stand off
is around the Golf Hotel in Abidjan. He wondered aloud at the wisdom
of Ouattara sending his supporters to face violence, trying to take
the TV and radio station.
Inner
City Press
asked another Ivorian diplomat, appointed by Gbagbo, what he thought
of developments. “Gbagbo has to go,” the diplomat replied,
predicting exile in Angola by the end of the week.
Smoky battle in Cote d'Ivoire, Gbagbo exile not yet shown
Others are not so
sure.
France
is opposed
to including Gbagbo in the sanctions lists to be finalized in
Brussels next Monday, reportedly, wanting to keep this “final”
card in hand in case Gbagbo continues to refuse to leave. Watch this
site.
* * *
As
UN
and
US Deal with Gbagbo Diplomats, Protesters Hit Angola Link,
Council in DC
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
13 -- As in Abidjan Laurent Gbagbo's soldiers had a
stand off with UN peacekeeping troops, across from the UN in New York
a group of protesters Monday morning demanded that the UN do more to
ensure Gbagbo leaves power.
The
UN Security
Council members were out of town, down in Washington with US
Ambassador Susan Rice. But Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was at UN
Headquarters, and was the target of a letter from the demonstrators.
They
called for
the full recognition of Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the
delayed Ivorian election, and said that “Gbagbo has the lone
support of Angola.”
“They
have
their
families and their money there,” a protest leader told Inner City
Press, predicting that in the best case scenario, Gbagbo will go into
exile in Angola. Interestingly, Angola's co member of the Lusophone
group Portugal is joining the Security Council on January 1.
Human
rights
rogue and Lusophone wannabe Equatorial Guinea is also in touch with
Gbagbo, as is Benin reportedly.
Anti-Gbagbo protesters at UN Dec 13, UNSC and Gbagbo
dips not shown (c) MRLee
Inner City
Press on
December 9 asked
Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky if the UN is still dealing
with Gbagbo's diplomats:
Inner
City
Press:
after you read out the Security
Council’s statement
yesterday supporting ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African
States], which recognized Mr. Ouattara as the new President of
Côte
d'Ivoire; I just wondered, what does this mean toward, for the UN
treatment of the existing Côte d'Ivoire diplomats who were
appointed
by no longer President, apparently in the international view,
[Laurent] Gbagbo? Are they still, what’s the process, I guess? Do
they continue to be viewed by the United Nations as the legitimate
representatives of Côte d'Ivoire? The former Ambassador here is
now
the Foreign Minister under Gbagbo. So, I just wondered.
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I
think there is a set process; there is a Credentials
Committee that handles these matters. And I think that that’s the
route — speaking in general terms, not about this specific case.
Okay, thank you very much, everyone.
Even
asked again
on Monday about the UN's dealings with Gbagbo's diplomats, Ban's
spokesman Nesirky dodged the question.
At
US
Ambassador Susan Rice's
holiday reception on December 9, the acting Permanent Representative
of Gbagbo's regime was present. Inner City Press asked Ambassador
Rice about it, and she said he wasn't “on the dark side.” So
could he represent Ouattara? Watch this site.
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