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United States Welcomes Appointment of Ivorian Prime Minister

United States Department of State (Washington, DC)
DOCUMENT
December 6, 2005
Posted to the web December 7, 2005
Washington, DC
The United States December 6 welcomed the appointment of a new prime minister
in Cote d'Ivoire, congratulating President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria,
President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and President Mamadou Tandja of Niger for
their mediation efforts in the country.
The new prime minister, Charles Konan Bany, has been serving as the governor of
the Central Bank of West African States, according to a press report. Among his
tasks will be working to resolve the current conflict between the government
and northern rebels and paving the way for a government acceptable to all sides
in the West African nation.
Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of cocoa
beans, coffee and palm oil. The country was relatively stable until an
attempted coup in 1999 and another in 2002, which led to a climate of political
and economic instability that has challenged peace efforts of the African Union
and the United Nations and prolonged instability in the region.
Following is the text of the State Department statement:
The United States welcomes the appointment of Charles Konan Bany as Prime
Minister of Cote d'Ivoire. We congratulate Presidents Obasanjo, Mbeki and
Tandja on the success of their mediation effort. The United States looks
forward to working closely with Prime Minister Bany. We call upon all Ivoirian
parties to give him their full support to unify the country, achieve
disarmament, and move to elections.

   

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