Gbagbo envoys say Raila not rejected as AU mediator

By BEAUTTAH OMANGA

Besieged Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has not rejected Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a mediator in the country’s leadership crisis, his special envoy said in Nairobi.

The team of Gbagbo’s emissaries told The Standard Gbagbo wanted Raila to listen to both sides and maintain neutrality in his mission.

The group said it was Gbagbo’s desire to meet with his rival Alassane Ouattara under the chairmanship of Raila, but also in the presence of a beefed up team from the AU.

Gbagbo, the team said, wanted AU to also make clear what its mediation mission was in the leadership crisis.

The Ivory Coast’s team leader William Attebi Lerry Leon is also a special adviser to besieged President Laurent Gbagbo. [PHOTO: MARTIN MUKANGU/ STANDARD]

"President Gbagbo is ready to meet his rival and together discuss the formation of a government of national unity, but any attempts to force him out of office will not succeed," said the team leader, William Attebi Lerry Leon, who was introduced as a special adviser to Gbagbo.

He said Raila left Gbagbo waiting at the end of his last trip to Ivory Coast.

"Gbagbo met the PM at State House and they both agreed Raila goes ahead to meet with Ouattara and tell him he was ready to meet him, but instead of returning to brief the President, Raila left for Nairobi," said Leon.

The Representatives

He added that Gbagbo had asked the PM to convince Ouattara for a joint consultative meeting, but the opposition leader declined, saying he would only meet Gbagbo on condition he handed over power to him.

The three-man team arrived in Nairobi to clarify what they termed misleading media reports that the PM was rejected in Ivory Coast.

The group, however, reiterated Gbagbo was duly elected by more than 51 per cent of the cast votes and was not ready to give up his seat.

The trio said they were part of many teams dispatched to all African countries to rally the continent to support his re-election as president and ignore reports he has lost the elections.

They said any attempt to use force to throw Gbagbo out of power would be resisted by the Ivorians.