IVORY COAST: PRESIDENTS OF GHANA AND NIGERIA ARRIVE IN ABIDJAN IN BID TO KICKSTART FALTERING PEACE PROCESS

Record ID: 183620

  • Title: IVORY COAST: PRESIDENTS OF GHANA AND NIGERIA ARRIVE IN ABIDJAN IN BID TO KICKSTART FALTERING PEACE PROCESS
  • Date: 30th October 2003
  • Summary: (W7) ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (OCTOBER 30, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. PRESIDENT JOHN KUFUOR OF GHANA GETTING OFF THE PLANE AND EMBRACING THE IVORIAN PRESIDENT LAURENT GBAGBO 0.06 2. PRESIDENT KUFUOR EMBRACING TWO CHILDREN WHO GIVE HIM FLOWERS 0.10 3. WIDE SHOT OF AIRPORT TARMAC 0.15 4. PRESIDENT OBASSANJO'S PLANE ARRIVING 0.19 5. PRESIDENT OBASSANJO DISEMBARKING THE PLANE AND EMBRACING PRESIDENT GBAGBO AND PRESIDENT KUFUOR 0.31 6. IVORIAN SOLDIERS 0.36 7. MV: THE THREE PRESIDENTS ON A PLATFORM IN SILHOUETTE 0.39 8. CLOSE UP OF OBASSANJO AND GBAGBO IN SILHOUETTE 0.43 9. CUTAWAY OF THE FLAGS OF IVORY COAST, GHANA AND NIGERIA 0.48 10. HAND SHAKES BETWEEN OBASSANJO AND IVORIAN SOLDIER 0.57 11. THE THREE PRESIDENTS WALKING TOGETHER ON TARMAC 1.00 (U7) ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (OCTOBER 30, 2003) (REUTERS) 12. THE PRESIDENTS OF NIGERIA, IVORY COAST AND GHANA SEATED LEFT TO RIGHT 1.05 13. NIGERIAN PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBISANJO AND PRESIDENT OF IVORY COAST LAURENT GBAGBO 1.09 14. SOUNDBITE (English), PRESIDENT OF GHANA JOHN KUFUOR, SAYING: "We've had what we consider to be a fruitful session with him and his prime minister about the way forward for the transitional government until the election and we believe what has transpired might provide a cooling down period among all the parties to the transitional government." 1.41 15. PRESIDENTS WALKING TOGETHER OUTSIDE AT NIGHT 1.45 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 14th November 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
  • Country: Ivory Coast
  • Reuters ID: LVA56UJPB0BBT6TNVY1TUCH9MP6B
  • Story Text: Presidents of Ghana and Nigeria join their Ivory
    Coast counterpart to kickstart peace process


    The presidents of Ghana and Nigeria jetted into
    Ivory Coast on Thursday (October 30) in a bid to kickstart
    a faltering peace process and defuse tensions simmering in
    the West African country despite the official end of a
    civil war.

    Ghana's John Kufuor and Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo
    held talks with their Ivorian counterpart and the country's
    prime minister, who heads a shaky power-sharing government
    meant to shepherd Ivory Coast to elections in 2005.

    "We had what we considered to be a fruitful session
    about the way forward for the transitional government to
    the elections," Kufuor, who chairs the Economic Community
    of West African States, told reporters after the meeting.

    "We believe what has transpired might provide a cooling
    down period for all the parties," he said, without
    elaborating.

    Tension has soared in the former French colony since
    rebels who started the civil war after a failed coup last
    year pulled out of the government, accusing President
    Laurent Gbagbo of stalling a French-brokered peace deal
    signed in January.

    The war, which killed thousands and drove more than one
    million people from their homes in the world's top cocoa
    producer, was declared over in July but the country remains
    split in two and progress towards peace has been bogged
    down by disputes.

    The rebels have said they would only return if Gbagbo
    stepped down. Gbagbo's supporters say the rebels are only
    making excuses to delay disarmament.

    West African leaders are eager to draw a line under the
    turmoil in Ivory Coast, an economic powerhouse in the
    region which hosts millions of immigrants from neighbouring
    states.


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