afrol News, 5 December - Charles Konan Banny has been welcomed locally and internationally as the new interim Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire. Mr Banny, who is getting many of President Laurent Gbagbo's current powers, is to lead the country to peace and new elections. He was appointed by foreign peace mediators.

The 63-year-old comes from the safe post as governor of the West African Central Bank in Dakar, where he was head-hunted by African leaders to take charge of the seemingly hopeless Ivorian peace process. Within 11 months, Mr Banny is expected to disarm Côte d'Ivoire and lead the country to nation-wide general elections.

The decision to create a new powerful Prime Minister post in Côte d'Ivoire was taken by the UN Security Council after President Gbagbo had failed to organise elections in the divided country and his mandate was running out. While Mr Gbagbo was given a new 12-month mandate in the Ivorian presidency, the controversial President saw his powers cut. Important decisions were to be taken by a new Prime Minister having trust among the northern rebels, other militias, the southern opposition and the ruling party.

While the rival Ivorian parties again failed to agree on a new Prime Minister, the peace mediators had assured their right to appoint a suitable candidate. On Sunday, Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Mamadou Tandja of Niger announced their choice; a highly profiled Ivorian banker not involved in national party politics.

"The Prime Minister for the transition period that is scheduled to end in October 2006 is Mr Charles Konan Banny," President Obsanjo, who also acts as the Chairman of the African Union (AU), read out from a brief statement made in Abidjan. He was joined by Niger's President Tandja, who leads the current AU presidency, and President Mbeki, who is leading one main peace mediation processes in Côte d'Ivoire.

The designation of Mr Banny as Côte d'Ivoire's new Prime Minister was the third attempt to implement the UN peace plan for the country. Earlier attempts initiated by President Gbagbo had failed due to opposition from one or several parties.

In Côte d'Ivoire, the designation mainly was met positively. Mr Banny had been on the list of 16 possible candidates to the post drafted by President Gbagbo, meaning that the Ivorian President had given his approval in advance. Statements by the Forces Nouvelles, which control the northern part of the country, and by the Abidjan opposition indicated approval of Mr Banny.

The new Prime Minister will need the trust and goodwill of all parties to lead the country towards peace and elections by the end of October next year. The most difficult task will be to disarm the Forces Nouvelles and the pro-Gbagbo militias in time before the elections. To achieve that, Mr Banny needs to take effective control over the Armed Forces, guaranteeing there will be no new attacks on the north. Also the citizenship affair, determining who will be able to stand candidate and who may vote in 2006, must be resolved.

The international community today welcomed Mr Banny's designation as a great hope for lasting peace in Côte d'Ivoire. Secretary-General Kofi Annan today hailed the appointment and urged the parties to cooperate fully with Mr Banny. The new government needed to "move without delay" to implement the roadmap for the transition period, Mr Annan said.

According to the UN, the transition period should lead to "free, open, fair and transparent elections by the end of October 2006," following decisions of the AU endorsed by the UN Security Council. A working group to implement the peace plan represents the UN, AU, (ECOWAS), European Union (EU), the Francophonie, six African countries, France, the UK and the US.

The UN Secretary-General in his statement further gratitude for the efforts of the presidents of Nigeria, South Africa and Niger "who contributed so much" to the appointment of Mr Benny, and commended the outgoing Ivorian Prime Minister, Seydou Diarra, "for his tireless efforts in the cause of peace for his country." Mr Diarra was appointed following pressure from the UN as head of a reconciliation government and was thought to be trusted by all parties, not unlike Mr Banny.

By staff writers

© afrol News

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