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Aide: Sanctions are 'Blackmail' to Force Ivorian President to Step Down

   Peter Clottey 21 December 2010
   Ivory  Coast  President  Laurent Gbagbo and his wife Simone during the
   swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan (File)

Photo: AP

   Ivory  Coast  President  Laurent Gbagbo and his wife Simone during the
   swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan (File)

   A  special  adviser  to Ivoirian President Laurent Gbagbo told VOA the
   international  community,  including  the  United  Nations,  is  using
   targeted sanctions or restrictions to âblackmailâ Ivory Coast amid the
   ongoing political crisis in the West African nation.

   Ambassador  Yao  Gnamien  maintains  that  dialogue  between the rival
   parties,  mediated  by  an  âunbiased  party,â is the only solution to
   resolving the countryâs political impasse.

   âIf  the  international community wants to bring peace to our country,
   they  have  to  listen to everybody, to listen to President Gbagbo, to
   listen  to  his  opponent,  and  then they can sit together and find a
   solution for our political crisis,â said Ambassador Gnamien.

   âThe  international  community  does  not want to see, for one second,
   that  we  are  a sovereign state with our constitution, (and) with our
   laws,  and  they  think  that  what  the  U.N.  says is the law of our
   country.  It  is not true. The U.N. is not above our county, (and) the
   international community is not above our country.â

   His  comments  came  after  the  Obama administration announced travel
   sanctions  against  Mr. Gbagbo and his close associates. The sanctions
   are  aimed at putting more pressure on the Ivorian leader to step down
   and hand over power to former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara.

   Mr.  Ouattara  is  the  internationally-recognized winner of the 28^th
   November  presidential  run-off  vote, which was described by election
   observers as free and fair.

   But,  Ambassador  Gnamien  said  there is no law on earth that, in his
   words, supersedes that of Ivory Coastâs constitution.

   âThe  day  the  African and the (international community) will come to
   Cote  dâIvoire  to  listen  to both parties and to make a decision, we
   will  say  that  they  want  peace  in  our  country,â said Ambassador
   Gnamien.

   â(But,)  as  much as they sit in their countries and they (donât) want
   to  appreciate  what is going on in our country, we think that it is a
   kind  of  interference  in  the  Ivoirian  internal affairs because an
   election is an internal affair.â

   The  United  States  imposed  travel  restrictions  on  Mr. Gbagbo and
   members  of  his family, including his wife, and other associates, who
   are  said  to  be  supporting  policies that "undermine the democratic
   process" in Ivory Coast.
   The  action  means  that  any members of Mr. Gbagboâs inner circle who
   hold  U.S.  visas  will  have  them revoked and that others seeking to
   travel to the United States will be denied visas.
   The  State  Department  said the action applies initially to dozens of
   people  and  that the list will be expanded as the situation warrants.
   The move comes a day after the European Union announced a similar visa
   ban and an asset freeze on the Ivorian leader and his wife.

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