afrol News, 22 May - President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d'Ivoire has expelled a senior United Nations official, Gerard Stoudmann, out of the country. Mr Stoudmann has been in charge of elections in Cote d’Ivoire.

He is the second senior UN official to be expelled in the country after Pierre Schori, a special representative of the UN Secretary General who left on 15 February. Mr Schori was replaced by Abou Moussa.

Filled with fury, President Gbagbo explained the rationale behind the expulsion to African diplomats in his country. He said it is common knowledge that each country has a leader and that any UN envoy is mandated to act as the co-president of Côte d'Ivoire. “I will never condone such acts,” he furiously stated.

Mr Gbagbo said he will not hesitate to send any diplomat or officer home for acting as a co-president.

The Ivorian leader said he was disturbed by the attitude of the two diplomats who act as if they were empowered to govern Côte d'Ivoire that he had sent a letter to the UN Secretary General, asking him to recall them.

He denied the existence of problems between the UN and Côte d'Ivoire. “I must tell the people that it is high time we stop having lieutenant governors and governors in our country,” he said.

Mr Gbagbo’s critics accused him of suppressing UN representatives for merely acting in accordance with the October 2005 UN Resolution 1633.

A new resolution on the Ivorian crisis is being prepared by the UN Security Council. It will merge with the 4 March peace accord signed by President Gbagbo and Guillaume Soro, the former rebel leader of Forces Nouvelles.

The UN Chief, Ban Ki-Moon, has urged the UN troops to remain in Côte d'Ivoire.

Djibril Bassolé, the Security Minister of Burkina Faso last week called on the Security Council to support President Blaise Compaoré to nail the Ivorian crisis. Organisation of elections is the last agenda of the Ouagadougou accord.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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