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25 August 2005 - Programme Number 62

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS NIGER &
COTE D'IVOIRE - THREAT OF A COUP PLOT

UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan has visited Niger to see for himself the scale of the food crisis that has left more than 2.5 million people in urgent need of food aid. Mr. Annan has tried to avoid controversy and criticism that the UN response in Niger has been slow and late: "I think this is an unfortunate debate. What is important is for us to focus on providing emergency aid to those who need it. For those who are hungry and need food, this debate that we are having is totally irrelevant. What they need is immediate assistance and short, medium and long term approach to ensure we will not live through this again for other children, or for their younger brothers and sisters.
... The debate and the discussion: who did what and whether it was on time, we'll have lots time once we've saved the people to discuss it. Historians and political scientists will have lots of time to study it. But for the moment, let's focus on what is needed."

As former Ivorian military General Mathias Doue threatens to launch a coup d'etat against the government of President Laurent Gbagbo, we hear from the UN's top man designated to oversee the conduct of credible elections in Cote D'Ivoire, former Portuguese Foreign Minister, Antonio Monteiro, about the threat of further political instability and the clouds hanging over the elections: "All of them want elections, in the shortest time possible. And this is something if it has to be translated into reality then we have to start working as soon as possible."

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