Nigerian President Chairs Discussion On Cote D'Ivoire

Nigerian President Chairs Discussion On Cote D'Ivoire

Nigeria 's President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and two other international figures are to co-chair discussions on the lingering political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire as the African Union, AU Summit opens today, Tuesday, in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia .

The AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ramtane Lamamra, said in Addis Ababa , that Jonathan would be co-chairing the summit with Dr. Jean Ping, the AU Commission Chairman and the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

Lamamra said a review of the political situation in Cote d'Ivoire would top the agenda of the meeting of African Heads of State and Government, scheduled for 30 th January in Addis Ababa .

He said since the eruption of the crisis, President Jonathan had been in close contact and consultations with regional, continental and global leaders in search its peaceful resolution.

The Nigerian President, who is also the ECOWAS Chairman, is expected to brief the wider assembly of African Presidents and Heads of State, on ECOWAS efforts at resolving the crisis.

ECOWAS delegation meets Obama and Ban Ki-moon

Meanwhile, An ECOWAS' delegation is expected to meet US President Barrack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this week on the political situation in Cote d'Ivoire .

The high-powered delegation is due in Washington on Wednesday and in New York on Thursday.  
 
President Goodluck Jonathan nominated the team, which includes President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone , President of the ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador Victor Gbeho and Nigeria 's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia.
 
Nigeria 's Ambassador to the US , Professor Ade Adefuye, is also part of the team. 

The team is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, on Wednesday after which they will proceed to the White House for a meeting with Obama.

The delegation will, also on Thursday, meet Security Council members in New York for an update on ECOWAS' position and plans for Cote d‘Ivoire.
 
The UN, AU and ECOWAS have, so far, failed in their efforts to persuade Laurent Gbagbo to vacate the presidential palace for Alassane Ouattara, the internationally-recognised winner of the November 28 presidential run-off election.
 
Four AU delegations have visited Abidjan since December 1 , but failed to prevail on Gbagbo to step down.
 
Gbagbo has not only refused to step down, but has also demanded the withdrawal of the nearly 9,000 -strong UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire .
 
The UN rejected the demand for the withdrawal of the force which has been supporting the stabilisation and reunification efforts in the country in the past seven years.
 
Last week, the Security Council authorised the deployment of 2,000 additional troops for the mission in Cote d'Ivoire , while ECOWAS has also threatened to use legitimate force to get Gbagbo out.

NAN/Margaret/Yinka