Remarks After Meeting With Prime Minister Guillaume SoroJohn D. Negroponte , Deputy Secretary of StateAbidjan, Cote d'Ivoire November 11, 2007 (10:00 GMT)
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: I will make a brief statement just to say that I am very grateful to the Prime Minister for having received me. And we had a very good discussion about the political process here and we talked above all about the process of identification and voter registration on the one hand and the process of disarmament and demobilization on the other hand. This is, of course, an Ivorian process that has to be carried out by the people of the Cote d’Ivoire, but of course they deserve the encouragement and the support of countries such as the United States and other members of the international community. So I came here to bring a message of encouragement to the Prime Minister and I look forward to the other meetings that I will have today. QUESTION: When can one expect U.S. assistance to Cote d’Ivoire? DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: Well, there are certain kinds of assistance that we already give to the Cote d’Ivoire including a very substantial program for the combat -- combating the AIDS virus. But we would hope that, especially as the situation -- political situation normalizes and is placed on a sound democratic foundation, that there would be perspectives for other forms of cooperation in the future. Merci beaucoup. Released on November 12, 2007 |
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