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 ABIDJAN 00000909 002 OF 002 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