Nicholas Nthenge | PMPS On January 10, 2011, Mr Odinga briefed ambassadors and high commissioners from six diplomatic missions in Nairobi on his Cote d’Ivoire trip last week. The envoys were Mr Michael Ranneberger (US), Mr Rob Macaire (Britain), Mr David Collins (Canada), Mr Per Ludvig Magnus (Norway), Mr Etienne de Poncins (France) and Ms Laetitia Van den Assum (Netherlands).
By OLIVER MATHENGE omathenge@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Tuesday, January 11 2011 at 21:00
In Summary
- Premier set to meet AU Commission boss on Wednesday over ongoing leadership impasse in Cote d’Ivoire
Prime Minister Raila Odinga returns to Cote d’Ivoire later this week.
The PM said on Monday evening that he intended to return to Abidjan to set up proper structures to deal with the impasse.
And on Wednesday he will meet the chairman of the African Union Commission, Mr Jean Ping.
Mr Ping is also scheduled to brief President Kibaki on the African Union mediation mission in the West African country hit by a crisis following last November’s disputed elections.
Opposition leader Alassane Ouattara was declared the winner of the election, but incumbent Laurent Gbagbo has refused to cede power, saying some votes in a part of the country were invalid.
On Monday, Mr Odinga briefed ambassadors and high commissioners from six diplomatic missions in Nairobi on his Cote d’Ivoire trip last week.
The envoys were Mr Michael Ranneberger (US), Mr Rob Macaire (Britain), Mr David Collins (Canada), Mr Per Ludvig Magnus (Norway), Mr Etienne de Poncins (France) and Ms Laetitia Van den Assum (Netherlands).
The PM told the diplomats that he pleaded with Mr Gbagbo to surrender power and save his country.
He asked the diplomats’ governments not to shift focus from Cote d’Ivoire, saying the country could easily slide into chaos.
Mr Odinga said Mr Gbagbo had used state structures to control the flow of information, thus creating the impression that life was going on normally in the capital, Abidjan.
He said the AU’s position remained that power-sharing was not an option in Cote d’Ivoire.
There were about 20 elections scheduled on the continent in the next one year, he said, and power-sharing in Cote d’Ivoire situation could set a trend if the people’s choice is not respected.
If the issue is not resolved, incumbents in the coming elections may try to cling to power Mr Gbagbo’s way, a development could mess up Africa.
“The loss of faith in the transfer of power through the ballot could lead to the return of military coups in Africa. The military will take power claiming that they are trying to restore order,” the PM said.
He supported sanctions as a way of bringing the protagonists to the negotiating table, but said sanctions alone had not worked to restore faith in democracy and the ballot in the countries where they had been applied.
Holed up in hotel
The international community, including the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African states have all recognised Mr Ouattara as the legitimately elected president of Cote d’Ivoire.
Mr Ouattara has been holed up in a hotel in Abdijan after he was sworn in and appointed his own cabinet under the protection of UN troops.
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