The committee tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Cote d'Ivoire peace process has reassured that the country will hold presidential elections as scheduled on November 30 this year.
In its final statement issued at the end of its 5th meeting, the Evaluation and Support Committee (CEA), which is tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Ouagadougou peace accord, appeared to be keen to rule out any possibilities of a postponement of the polls.
The presidential polls, which have been postponed on many occasions in the past, are expected to mark the end of the peace process in Cote d'Ivoire, divided into two almost equal parts for the last six years.
According to the statement, "the funding of the whole process will be completed before the presidential election," despite the existence of other obstacles such as the slow pace of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) program as well as questions over the security and logistics for the polls.
Faced with this situation, the international community, which was strongly represented at the session, was asked to accelerate the disbursement of funds to help overcome obstacles that were still standing in the way of peace and stability in the country.
Speaking at the end of the session, President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, who is also the facilitator of the inter-Ivorian dialogue, stressed the need for international donors "to grant emergency aid to finance the process to end the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire."
In addition to the Cote d'Ivoire's Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and other protagonists in the six-year old crisis, the session was attended by religious, customary and civil society groups.
The Ivorian National Union for Renaissance, a political party associated with Ibrahim Coulibaly, was also present at the meeting. Coulibaly, a former army sergeant, is wanted to stand trial in connection with a botched coup against President Laurent Gbagbo.
Meanwhile, France's Secretary of State for Cooperation Alain Joyandet, who is currently here on an official visit, has reiterated that the electoral process in Cote d'Ivoire should not be interrupted because of financial problems.
"I would not like to see financial problems interfering with the electoral process that will ensure that the elections in Cote d'Ivoire are held within the stipulated deadline, that is next November," Joyandet told reporters Thursday evening.
The junior French minister, who is here on a two-day working visit, was addressing a press briefing after holding discussions with President Compaore, the chief architect behind the Cote d'Ivoire peace process.
"We are particularly engaged to ensure that this process continues to the very end. We'll keep in touch with the President Compaore and Foreign Minister (Djibril Bassole) to make the financial evaluation because France and the European Union are committed to financially support this process," said Joyandet.
According to Cote d'Ivoire's government, the process of identification and preparation of electoral rolls, which is scheduled to come to a close in late August, is experiencing several challenges, chief among them being financial difficulties.
On several occasions, Prime Minister Soro, whose mandate includes ensuring that key deadlines in the peace process are met, has decried difficulties in raising funds to finance the program for ending the crisis that has left the country divided since September 2002.
The overall budget for the implementation of the entire processis estimated at 223 billion CFA francs (about 527 million U.S. dollars), according to the United Nations. The government has pledged to cover 114 billion CFA francs while the international community is expected to bridge the gap.
Despite the numerous problems and challenges, Robert Mambe Beugre, president of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), has reaffirmed that the date of Nov. 30, set for the first round of the presidential election, will be respected.
"As conceived, the electoral calendar takes into account the various constraints and contingencies that are required for the elections. Taking all the chances, this timetable will be respected," said Beugre, who was speaking after meeting President Compaore.
Source: Xinhua
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