Obasanjo Seeks Peace In Cote d’Ivoire

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he is hopeful that the Ivorian political crisis can be resolved without resort to force.

ECOWAS had a fortnight ago, threatened the use of “legitimate force” to oust President Laurent Gbagbo who has been under international pressure to hand over  to Alassane Ouattara.

The Ivorian electoral commission announced Ouattara the winner of the Nov. 28, 2010 presidential election, resulting in international endorsement of  Ouattara.

Cote d’Ivoire has had two presidents since Dec. 4, 2010, with the political tension teetering towards a civil war.

“When you have a problem, you must consider all the possible options,” the former president told newsmen in Abidjan, after a meeting with Gbagbo.

“You must be realistic on the situation and know the cost-effective means of resolving the problem,” he said.

Obasanjo said he was in Abidjan to “explore” options for peace, noting that he was still hopeful that a gateway could be found in the political stalemate.

Asked if the military option considered by ECOWAS was viable, the former president said: “My exploration remains positive to the extent that I am here to  explore by all means.”

According to him, the two presidents had given him their sides of the story and he had decided to explore all the necessary means for amicable resolution.

“I was invited to Abidjan by my friends, Mr. Laurent Gbagbo and Mr. Alassane Ouattara. And after a while, I asked President Goodluck Jonathan and he agreed  that I should come in, so I came in,” he said.

Obasanjo on Sunday met with the two Presidents of Cote d’Ivoire, Gbagbo and Ouattara, with a view to finding a solution to the lingering political crisis.

The West Africa correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the former president arrived in Abidjan on Saturday and proceeded to the Golf  Hotel, where he met with Ouattara.

“The President also met with Laurent Gbagbo on the same night,” a staffer of the Nigerian embassy said.

The staffer, who craved anonymity, said the President repeated his visit to Ouattara on Sunday and had another meeting with Gbagbo, before meeting with the  ambassadors of the U.S., France, Canada and the EU at his hotel.

Obasanjo, according to the staffer, also met with the UN Secretary-General Special Representative, Jim Young Choi, at his hotel.

Obasanjo had three meetings with Gbagbo in two days and two with Ouattara.

Ouattara’s spokesman, Patrick Achi, said the meetings between Obasanjo and Ouattara were held behind closed doors and the “agenda was really private.”

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