S/PV.5676 Security Council

On behalf of the Council, I extend a warm welcome to His Excellency Mr. Djibrill Bassole, Minister of National Security of Burkina Faso. I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Côte d’Ivoire in which he requests that his delegation be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the consideration of the item without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them document S/2007/275 containing the thirteenth progress report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire. I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Djibrill Bassole, Minister of National Security of Burkina Faso.

It is a tremendous privilege for us to take the floor before this gathering to deliver a message on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso, current Chairman of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and facilitator of the inter-Ivorian dialogue. We take this opportunity to address our warm and sincere congratulations to the representative of the United States of America on his assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May and for the brilliant work already completed. Since the beginning of direct dialogue, the facilitator has demonstrated his commitment to the role played by the United Nations in the settlement of the Ivorian crisis through ongoing consultation with representatives of the Secretary-General and the High Representative for the elections prior to, during and after the conclusion of the political agreement of Ouagadougou. He received the multidisciplinary technical evaluation mission headed by Mr. Hédi Annabi, with whom fruitful exchanges were held. More recently, he submitted the report of the first meeting of the Evaluation and Monitoring Committee to Mr. Abou Moussa, whom he wishes to salute here for his effectiveness, efforts and availability in facilitating the process of finding a solution to the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire. Furthermore, we would like to repeat here the facilitator’s satisfaction, as Chairman of ECOWAS, at the Security Council’s endorsement of the political agreement of Ouagadougou through a statement by its President issued on 28 March 2007 (S/PRST/2007/8). By doing so, the Security Council provides every opportunity for effective application of the agreement and opens a new era of hope in the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire. The political agreement of Ouagadougou, which has given rise to direct dialogue, marks, it must be recognized, a real turning point in the process of emerging from the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire. The agreement, reached between two former principal belligerent forces following an open and fruitful dialogue between the President of the Republic, Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, and the Secretary-General of the Forces nouvelles, Mr. Guillaume Soro, attempts to bring practical and appropriate solutions to the different concerns of the two parties most closely involved. They include the identification of individuals, mobile court hearings, organization of elections, the process of disarmament and demobilization, the dismantling of armed militias, the abolition of the zone of confidence, restoration of the authority of the State, and redeployment of the administration throughout the national territory. This agreement is valuable because it has emphasized the prime concerns of the parties that had caused stumbling blocks in the past. It constitutes an acceptable and balanced compromise for the two parties and draws useful lessons from earlier agreements, namely those of Linas-Marcoussis, Accra and Pretoria. Its originality resides, we feel, in the fact that it is the outcome of the free and shared will of the two main military forces in the country. That is why it was welcomed by the Ivorian political class as a whole and by all the Ivorian people. In fact, the decision of the two parties to implement their commitments arising from this agreement has made a major contribution to relaxing the general political climate in Côte d’Ivoire, as was noted by the United Nations multidisciplinary technical assessment mission in its report to the Secretary- General. The rationale of confrontation that previously prevailed has given way to a rationale of useful partnership. With regard to the agreement, the Evaluation and Monitoring Committee, which met in Ouagadougou on 11 May 2007 under the chairmanship of the facilitator, welcomed the real progress that is being made on the ground, particularly with regard to the new institutional framework for implementation of the agreement, the establishment of the integrated command centre, the abolition of the zone of confidence and the improvements in the general atmosphere. Of course, it must be acknowledged that there have been delays in the implementation of the agreement with regard to the adoption of some essential legal instruments and the initiation of important operations such as mobile court hearings, the electoral registration process, dismantling of armed militia and the deployment of the administration throughout the national territory. However, it should be recognized that this situation is explained by the complexity of the operations involved and the high cost triggered by the bad faith of both parties. In addition, the implementation of this agreement has been facing a number of challenges inherent in the very nature of the crisis and which are particularly tied to the financing of the operations. Aware of the magnitude of the task and the myriad difficulties that could, unless we take care, compromise the achievement of the goals of the agreement, the facilitator has fully undertaken to support the parties throughout the process of ending the crisis. To that end, he has agreed with them to appoint a special representative in Abidjan. He also is considering the establishment, within the framework of the Evaluation and Monitoring Committee, of two advisory bodies. One would be national in nature and would make it possible to provide information and hear the views and suggestions of other components of Ivorian society. The other would be of an international nature, enabling all partners involved in the process of ending the crisis to carry out follow-up and support for the follow-up. The facilitator is convinced that the parties to the political agreement of Ouagadougou will not be able to carry this process to its conclusion without the assistance of the international community, particularly the United Nations. Moreover, the agreement calls upon the United Nations in different paragraphs to support the parties in their commitment to restore peace in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly with respect to the process of identification, the electoral process, the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process and the abolition of the zone of confidence, as well as dismantling the armed militias. The facilitator reiterates his call for consistent United Nations support to parties and to facilitation, both technically and financially, until the process of ending the crisis is completed. He supports the consensus between the parties with respect to the role of certification to be played by the United Nations in the electoral process. This certification, at every point in the process, continues clearly to be the best way at present to build trust among the different Ivorian forces and to restore peace to Côte d’Ivoire. This role of certification will benefit if it is carried out under an integrated institutional approach under the responsibility of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Furthermore, the facilitator hopes that the Security Council will support the two planned advisory bodies. He would also appreciate any assistance that the Council might provide to the parties to contribute to transparency in the varying operations and to the establishment of a peaceful climate, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Ouagadougou political agreement. From this standpoint, an approach of ongoing cooperation among the parties, facilitation and the international community needs to be highlighted, in order to enable anticipation of any difficulties that might arise and to ensure a successful end to the crisis. The peace process in Côte d’Ivoire is well under way, but it could prove vulnerable, given the electoral stakes involved. It is thus imperative that the facilitator enjoy the support of the international community so that he can assist the process until its conclusion: free, democratic, open and transparent presidential elections. We cannot conclude our statement without once again paying a well-deserved tribute, on behalf of the facilitator, Mr. Blaise Compaoré, to the Security Council for its ceaseless efforts in favour of peace in Côte d’Ivoire. We also welcome the daily activities of the impartial forces — the forces of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire and those of Operation Licorne — which are working together to bring about the gradual restoration of peace. We remain convinced that restoring peace in Côte d’Ivoire will guarantee stability and peace for the West African subregion as a whole.

I thank the Minister of National Security of Burkina Faso for his statement. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion of the subject.