Gbagbo send special message to President Mills

Tuesday December 7, 2010
By Edmund Mingle
President John Evans Atta Mills yesterday urgently called for peace in neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire ahead of an emergency ECOWAS meeting in Abuja, Nigeria today over the political crisis that has hit Cote d’Ivoire.

The President urged the two contenders, incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and opposition leader, Alhassane Quattara, who have both declared themselves winners of that country’s presidential election and subsequently sworn themselves into office, to allow the rule of law and peace to prevail in the interest of the people of Cote d’Ivoire.

President Mills made the call when a special envoy delivered a special message from incumbent President Gbagbo, to “fully inform President Mills of the developments” in his country.

“We are all interested in what is happening in Cote d’Ivoire and our major concern is for peace to prevail so that the lives of the people are not adversely affected,” he stressed.

President Mills, who will be joining his colleague ECOWAS Heads of State in Abuja to deliberate on the Cote d’Ivoire political impasse that has resulted in the formation of two governments by the two contenders, said peace and security should not be compromised at the detriment of Ivoriens.

The President, who had earlier in the run-up to the second round of elections in that country urged the two presidential contenders to accept the results of the elections, said the situation in Cote d’Ivoire was a disturbing one which should be addressed urgently.

He was optimistic that the outcome of today’s ECOWAS emergency meeting would help the find lasting solution to the impasse in the neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire.

The details of the message from President Gbagbo, was not given to the journalists, but Dr. Sery Bailly, a former Minister of Higher Education, who delivered the message, told journalists later that President Gbagbo wanted to fully inform President Mills of the developments so as to correct any perceptions he may have.

Asked whether it was part of a plan to lobby the government of Ghana, he denied saying President Mills was aware of what was going on in Cote d’Ivoire and could therefore not be misinformed.
“President Gbagbo want to assure President Mills that he is also interest in peace that is based on the rule of law,” he told the Press.
In what is described as a serious political crisis, the Constitutional Council overturned the results of the presidential election and declared Mr. Gbagbo the winner with 51 per cent of the total votes cast. His main challenger, Mr. Quattara, according to the council, secured 49 per cent of the votes.
This contravened the Electoral Commission’s had earlier declaration the opposition leader as winner with 54 per cent of the votes while Mr. Gbagbo obtained 46 per cent.
Mr. Gbagbo was sworn in for a third term in office at the presidential palace last Friday, but within hours, Mr. Quattara, a former Prime Minister from the predominately Muslim north of the country, was sworn in at an Abidjan hotel guarded by UN peacekeepers.
END