COTE D'IVOIRE: EXPRESSED HOPE, ANXIETY FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000909

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL UN IV
SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: EXPRESSED HOPE, ANXIETY FOR
RE-LAUNCH OF AUDIENCES FORAINES

REF: A. ABIDJAN 906


B. ABIDJAN 900

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Cynthia Akuetteh for
Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)


1. (SBU) Summary: At an August 18 ceremony in his honor in
the far northern city of Ferkessedougou, Prime Minister
Guillaume Soro announced that the audiences foraines
(tribunals that will issue replacement birth certificates)
will resume the beginning of September after the government's
recess. Officials in the Prime Minister's office told
Poloffs on August 22 that the groundwork has been laid for
the administration of the audiences foraines but the
government of Cote d'Ivoire (GOCI) still needs funding to
fully staff the tribunals. Political leaders and analysts
express great hope that the re-launch of the audiences
foraines and the identification process that will follow will
bring Cote d'Ivoire closer to elections; however, there is
trepidation over security of the public tribunals and growing
doubts that President Gbagbo will allow the identification
process to be completed before calling for presidential
elections. The Secretaries-General of both opposition
Rassemblement des Republicains (RDR) and Union pour la
Democratie et pour la Paix (UDPCI) in separate meetings told
Poloffs that successful audiences foraines and identification
processes are the most critical elements for addressing the
roots of the Ivoirian crisis. Without a credible
identification process the country cannot have free and fair
elections. End Summary


2. (SBU) At an August 18 ceremony in his honor in
Ferkessedougou, near his birth place, in the far north, Prime
Minister Soro appealed to the people of the north for their
support for the peace process as outlined in the Ouagadougou
Political Agreement (OPA). Soro was warmly received by
representatives from the 12 districts of the North in a large
ceremony described as a homecoming. In his speech he noted
that "after the war our country has experienced, we can no
longer afford to organize rigged elections." He emphasized
the importance of the OPA in addressing a key concern of the
people in the North, identification. He announced that the
government will launch the audiences foraines throughout the
country in early September, after the government returns from
its summer recess, under the administration of the Ministry
of Justice. In addressing comments directly to the military,
he noted that the civil administration, including the
prefects, mayors, subprefects and regional counselors, are
being deployed throughout former New Forces territory and
appealed to New Forces army chief of staff General Bakayoko,
who was present during the ceremony, to ensure the safety of
these civil servants. "They should not be perceived as
adversaries," Soro said. "That is why I entrust them to the
care of the soldiers on the ground, so that redeployment
should be conducted smoothly, efficiently, in perfect
collaboration and harmony, in order that the problems we have
raised can find solutions."


3. (C) In an August 22 meeting, the Prime Minister's deputy
cabinet director in charge of implementing the peace
agreement, Paul Koffi Koffi, explained to Poloffs that his
office is in the process of putting in place the
administrative components needed to launch the 111 audiences
foraines throughout the national territory in early
September. Koffi said that the prefects are installed and
that the 293 subprefects are in process of being put in place
in 63 jurisdictions as well. Koffi said the Ministry of
Justice is "in the process" of recruiting the 111 judges
needed to staff the tribunals. Identification and voter
registration will begin one month after the audiences
foraines and will be shepherded by the Ministry of Interior.
Mr. Koffi indicated that the government is moving diligently
to launch the audiences foraines and then identification
shortly thereafter, but noted that additional funds are
needed to support the process. He also stated that on August
8 the Prime Minister set up a working group on audiences
foraines and the reconstruction of the civil registries that
has been charged with following the progress, including any
technical difficulties, of the audiences foraines and the
larger identification program (septel).


4. (C) Political leaders and analysts express great hope that
the re-launch of the audiences foraines and the
identification process that will follow will bring Cote
d'Ivoire closer to elections; however, there is trepidation
over the security and administration of the audiences
foraines and growing doubts that President Gbagbo will allow
the identification process to be completed before calling for
presidential elections. In an August 24 meeting, Salif
Ndiaye, Secretary General of the opposition UDPCI party, told
Poloffs that identification is a critical stage for bringing

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the country to free and fair elections following the
provisions outlined in the OPA (reftel A). Henriette
Dabri-Diabate, the Secretary-General of the RDR, told Poloffs
August 22 (reftel B) that the audiences foraines are
important because once they are operational and
identification is complete, "everyone will have rights and
can vote." She noted that this will bring "real peace" to
Cote d'Ivoire. Diabate noted that the RDR is preparing its
supporters for identification and that the party is prepared
to monitor closely the progress of the audiences foraines and
identification. A former Minister of Justice, Diabate also
noted that potential pitfalls in the process would be poor
organization and coordination in general and of the court
tribunal itself. She emphasized that security must be
assured for the audiences foraines.
AKUETTEH