Raila secures support on Ivorian crisis

By Athman Amran
Prime Minister Raila Odinga engaged in shuttle diplomacy to rally countries to back Africa Union’s position on resolving Ivory Coast’s post-election crisis.
Yesterday, Raila was in Pretoria, South Africa, to seek the support of President Jacob Zuma.
The PM was to be hosted to dinner yesterday evening by Zuma, before flying back to Nairobi today, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Press Service.
The meeting with Zuma followed talks in Luanda with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
Endorsed plan
Raila, who is the AU mediator, had by Wednesday evening secured the support of President’s John Atta Mills (Ghana), Blaise Compaore (Burkina Faso) and Amadou Tokumani Toure of Mali, who had endorsed the position taken by AU and Ecowas on the Ivorian crisis.
The position includes possible use of force as the last resort.
The West African leaders also endorsed conditions spelt out by Raila that sought to have incumbent Laurent Gbagbo step down for rival Alassane Ouattara.
Gbagbo is also required to lift the blockade around a hotel where Ouattara is holed under the protection of UN forces.
Raila said the West African States that operate under the Communaute Financiere d’Afique (Financial Community of Africa) would be meeting tomorrow to discuss removing Gbagbo as a signatory to the Central Bank of member states.
The countries operating within the West African Economic and Monetary Union and the CFA currency do not run individual central banks.
"Gbagbo’s removal as a signatory with the regional bank will begin crippling his regime, which has been declared illegitimate," the statement added.