DJCI
President Modeste Seri applauds Washington’s response to the
Ivory Coast crisis
Abidjan, February 10, 2006
We
applaud the order signed by President Bush to enforce UN
sanctions against those obstructing the UN peace process to end
the over 5 year old conflict in the Ivory Coast, the once
prosperous West African country now in ruins. According to media
reports, President Bush considers such obstructions “an
extraordinary menace for American national security and its
foreign policy”. Yes, indeed. The Ivory Coast conflict is a
major menace not only for American security, but for the peace
and security of up to 100 million people
in several countries in the entire West African region.
However,
the latest UN sanctions are not sufficient. To make them just
and acceptable, they must target all members of the Ivorian
political class responsible for the violence and massive human
rights violation in the country. For the sanctions to be
effective France, fellow European Union members, and African
Union member states must all follow the US example.
Last
October UN Security Council Resolution 1633 set the roadmap for
the peace process. Almost four months have passed and progress
has been much slower than expected. DJCI has repeatedly called
for a strong international commitment in support of the search
for peace for the country. We feel it is time to do so again, as
we doubt the sincerity of the Ivorian political class to comply
with the terms of Resolution 1633. We repeat our call for strong action at this point. By
providing the UN peacekeeping force ONUCI a much stronger
mandate and significantly increasing the number of its troops,
the Ivorian rebellion can be effectively disarmed. By following
up with a strong peace building commitment through the newly
established UN Peace Keeping Commission, sustainable peace can
be ensured, averting a major catastrophe for West Africa. The
DJCI Peace Plan, first articulated over one year ago and
recently updated (see www.cwps.org
), provides an outline of our vision in this regard.
While
we are encouraged by President Bush’s realization of the
seriousness of the Ivorian situation, we cannot help but to
regret the inconsistency reflected by the fact that the US has
in recent days opposed requests by UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan for increases in ONUCI troop deployments, despite the
urgent need to do so. We repeat once more that the stakes in the
Ivory Coast are too high for half-hearted measures by the
international community at this time. We understand the natural
reluctance of donor countries, especially the US, to bear the
additional expenses associated with a strengthening of the UN
presence in the Ivory Coast. However, an adequate investment in
UN peace keeping and peace building at this point will avoid far
greater expenses in future once the escalation of the situation
affects the whole West African region.
Speaking
in Abidjan, where he is witnessing an increasing public support
for the DJCI vision, DJCI President Modeste Gnamé Seri said
“we call upon the US Government ensure that the UN is provided
with the necessary means to be successful in the Ivory Coast, to
ensure sustainable peace for the country, and to avert a major
catastrophe in West Africa. The UN can do it, if it is given the
means to do so. The time to act strongly is now”.
For
further comment: Modeste Seri + 225 08586948
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