Statement by Mr. Petr Iliichev, Chargé d'Affaires, at the Security Council on Côte d’Ivoire
We thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ms. Aichatou Mindaoudou, for her comprehensive briefing on the internal political situation in the country and the conclusion of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI).
We welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Mr. Amon-Tano, and we sincerely congratulate him on his country’s election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2018-2019. We wish his country every success in its cooperation on the issues on the Council’s agenda. The rich experience of Ivorians in post-conflict reconstruction is of particular interest in that regard and I am sure they will share their experience with the international community.
We note the success of Yamoussoukro in the sphere of national reconciliation, State-building and promoting political reforms in the country. We want to underscore that the successful holding of a referendum at the end of last year on the new Constitution and of parliamentary elections confirmed the maturity of the political forces in the country and their ability settle differences through peaceful means. Clearly, there is trend towards stability following the 2010 and 2011 electoral crises. In this regard, we note the contribution made by the Government, which took unprecedented measures to organize a political dialogue with the opposition. We hope that the authorities will continue to make serious efforts to increase the representation of women in governing bodies.
The Constitution’s provisions on land, citizenship and national identity are promising and give us hope for a final elimination of the root causes of the conflict. We are confident that Yamoussoukro will soon overcome the challenges posed by outbreaks of social tension. We take note of the agreements reached between the country’s authorities and ex-combatants who are integrated into the armed forces, which enabled them to quell the protests. In this regard, we urge the Ivorians to concentrate their efforts on addressing priority tasks, such as security sector reform; the implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants programme; and the return of refugees from Liberia to the country. In addition, the processes of national reconciliation and of eliminating the dividing lines in society, including those related to victor’s justice, must continue.
We must bear in mind that, in the West African region, terrorist groups have strengthened and we have been seeing occasional appearances of their emissaries in the north of the country, on the border with Mali. Côte d’Ivoire is also becoming a victim of terrorist attacks. In this regard, we urge Yamoussoukro to continue to place priority on the issues of security and illegal arms trafficking.
We greatly value Côte d’Ivoire’s position on regional stability. We welcome sending the Ivorian military into the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. We hope that Côte d’Ivoire will also continue to be accountable and approach logistical issues responsibly. We cannot overstate its role there.
We note that the transfer of the remaining tasks from UNOCI to the United Nations country teams has been carried out in an orderly manner. We are happy that the withdrawal of the mission is in accordance with the time frame. In conclusion, we, once again, encourage our Ivorian partners to fully cooperate with the Council.
