AFRICA/IVORY COAST - “Members of parliament argue, the UN threatens sanctions, but what worries Ivorians is rising unemployment and crime ” local source told Fides

Friday, 17 December 2004

Abidjan (Fides Service)- The Ivorian parliament is meeting today, 17 December, to discuss three Bills approved by a special commission with regard to the revision of article 35 of the Constitution concerning conditions for eligibility of the nation’s President, and two laws on nationality and naturalisation.
These laws touch on problems at the origin of the national crisis in Ivory Coast which has a large community of immigrants from neighbouring countries or people whose parents were not from Ivory Coast. The new law will give more representation to non Ivorians, and allow people with only one Ivorian parent to stand for presidency.
“Whether the laws are passed or not a referendum of confirmation will be a battle,” a local source told Fides. “The party led by President Laurent Gbagbo wants to put the new laws to a referendum but the Opposition is against it”.
At the diplomatic level South African president Thabo Mbeki continues to mediate. One of President’s advisers said he has ‘great confidence’ in South Africa’s mediation, while a delegation of the New Forces which control the north went to South Africa to present its own peace proposals.
In the meantime international pressure increases on the protagonists of the crisis. On 16 December the UN security council asked a commission of experts to list Ivorians to be sanctioned should the peace process fail.
“But the people have other problems” the source told Fides. “Civil war has destroyed the economy, industries have closed, hundreds of people are out of a job. People wonder where the next meal is coming from. Crime is increasing and to make things worse , during the fighting, 3,500 prisoners escaped from Abidjan prison in November”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 17/12/2004 righe 32 parole 379)


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