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Gbagbo Adviser Calls Bank Access Ban âIllegalâ

   Peter Clottey  23 January 2011
   Laurent Gbagbo (Dec 2010 file photo)

Photo: Reuters

   Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo (Dec 2010 file photo)

   A special adviser to Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has described as
   totally  illegal  a  decision  by regional leaders over the weekend to
   prevent  the  embattled  Mr.  Gbagbo  from accessing funds at the West
   African central bank.

   Ambassador  Yao  Gnamien,  who is currently in Europe to lobby support
   for Mr. Gbagboâs administration, told VOA the decision by the regional
   leaders  undermines  Ivory  Coastâs  constitution,  which  he  said is
   supposed to be the supreme law of the country.

   âIf  you  have  never  been  empowered  by  the  highest court in your
   country,  you  cannot act on behalf of a sovereign state. In our case,
   in Cote dâIvoire, if you have not been empowered by the Constitutional
   Court,  you  cannot  act  on  behalf  of  the sovereign people of Cote
   dâIvoire,â said Gnamien.

   âWe need to adapt our self to this kind of decision and what the whole
   world  must  know  is  that  what  is going on in Cote dâIvoire is the
   beginning  of the destabilization of West Africa because Cote dâIvoire
   is  an  essential  country  within  the  western part of the (African)
   continent.â

   This  came  after West African leaders forced the head of the regional
   central  bank  to  resign,  after  he  defied  an order to cut off Mr.
   Gbagbo's access to funds.

   The  move  is  the latest attempt by the sub-regional leaders to force
   Mr.  Gbagbo  to  step  down  and  cede  power  to  his rival, Alassane
   Ouattara.

   Gnamien blames western powers for the ongoing crisis in Ivory Coast.

   âWe  can  say  that  the  âcold  warâ  is coming back into West Africa
   because  of  our raw materials and because they want to control all of
   us.  In  Cote dâIvoire, we can say that we are experiencing once again
   the  cold  war, the cold war not based on ideological problem, but (a)
   financial one,â he said.

   âMost  of  the  superpowers,  members  of the P-5 (five permanent U.N.
   Security  Council  members),  they want to control the western part of
   the  continent  so  they are fighting each other through the crisis of
   Cote  dâIvoire.  We  can  say  that  they are manipulating the head of
   state.  If they are not careful, it can be like a fire which will burn
   all of us.â

   A  statement  later read on Mr. Gbagboâs-controlled Ivorian television
   appealed  for  calm  and  said  measures have been taken to ensure the
   smooth functioning of the country's banking system.

   Ambassador Gnamien also said the decision will not, in his words, meet
   its  intended  objective, which is to financially cripple Mr. Gbagboâs
   administration.

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