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Côte d'Ivoire

Ivorian women mobilise before the Paris summit

Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, (PANA) - The Forum of patriotic Ivorian women (CFPI) and the First Lady, Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, have drafted a document in the form of a viaticum intended for those "who will take part in the Paris summit on the Ivorian crisis."
The document was finalised Thursday afternoon, after two days of deliberations, official sources told PANA.

"We should mobilise to defend and support our country in Paris on 15 January" most of the women stated after their audience with Mrs. Simone Gbagbo.

They have formed a pressure group materialised by a document containing their aspirations and position on the discussions that will take place in Paris on 15 January 2003.

The Ivorian women recommend the cessation of hostilities and the disarmament of rebels, as well as the formation of a coalition government "to take up the post-war challenges, the organisation of a referendum on the Constitution, the code of nationality and the land entitlement issue."

"We also call for the continuation of the identification process, the popularisation of related legal and regulatory provisions and the depolarisation of defence forces," they indicated.

The Forum of patriotic Ivorian women condemned the violence perpetrated against women, and urged France, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union, to pursue their initiatives aimed at resolving the Ivorian crisis.

Mrs Gbagbo explained that the mobilisation of women should contribute in preserving the territorial integrity of Côte d'Ivoire, since "I am not prepared to give away Korhogo to Burkina Faso, or the port of San Pedro to Mali."

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