Ivoirian Crisis: Obama Confers with Jonathan

Ivoirian Crisis: Obama Confers with Jonathan

The US President Barack Obama has conferred with the Nigerian President ahead of an extra ordinary meeting of leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja over Cote d'Ivoire's political crisis,.

United States President Barack Obama on Wednesday afternoon placed a call to President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss the crisis.

ECOWAS leaders, who at their extra-ordinary summit in Abuja on December 7, 2010 suspended Cote d'Ivoire over its political crisis, are billed to reconvene in Abuja today to seek ways of further tightening the noose on President Laurent Gbagbo.

Gbagbo has refused to relinquish power after being defeated in last month's presidential re-run by opposition leader Alassane Ouattara.

A read-out of the telephone conversation issued by the White House said Obama intimated Jonathan with efforts taken by US so far on the Ivoirien crisis.

Already, US has imposed travel restrictions on members of Gbagbo's regime as well as other individuals who support policies or actions that undermine the democratic process and reconciliation efforts in Cote d'Ivoire.

Obama had, before then, sent a letter to Gbagbo telling him to respect the wishes of the Ivoirien people and warning him on the implications of acting otherwise.

US had also rallied members of the United Nations Security Council to condemn Gbagbo's refusal to accept the results of the election.

During his telephone conversation with Jonathan, the American president congratulated him for Nigeria's resolute leadership in standing behind the Ivoirien people and for insisting that the results of the November 28, 2010 presidential rerun must be respected.

Newspaper/Margaret/Qasim