Burkina Faso president meets UN peace mission chief in Cote d'Ivoire

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, the facilitator in the crisis of Cote d'Ivoire, on Thursday met with Choi Young-jin, the special representative of the UN secretary general, in the capital city of Ouagadougou.

Choi, who is also the head of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'lvoire (ONUCI), told reporters after the meeting that they examined the progress in the electoral process in that country.

Cote d'Ivoire is set to open its first presidential elections in late February or early March since 2005, following a civil war and the post-war division between the government and the former rebel New Forces.

The ONUCI chief said the current situation is not easy in Cote d'Ivoire, "but with the support of the Ivorian people and also the essential contribution of the facilitator, it's crucial to preserve the progress so far made and to minimize delays as we iron out the difficulties."

"The next important stage is the preparation of the final electoral lists which will be certified before the presidential election," he declared, wishing things to go smoothly for a successful electoral process.

Source: Xinhua