Ivory Coast

[M-A Lagrange]

Bagbo seems to have made a huge mistake:
Lanny Davis the pro US lobbyist resigned because Bagbo has refused to take a phone call from the White House and supposedly from the President him self.

Link in French:
http://fr.news.yahoo.com/69/20110101...d-b11dcaf.html

[jmm99]

Lobbyist Quits Job With Ivory Coast Leader;

and Gbagbo wants his $$ back, Ivory Coast asks lobbyist for $200,000 back.

Perhaps, the two late octogenarian French "legal beagles" (or is it "legal poodles" ?) can sue poor old Lanny in their spare time.

Cheers

Mike

[ocnus]

I've been told that Gbagbo didn't take a call from Obama because he thought it would be better to refuse the call than to say 'No' to Obama who was going to press for a joint tenancy of the Presidency a la Kenya. The role of Susan Rice in this business should not be overlooked. She was widely detested in Africa for her partisanship in favour of Museveni and Kagame. She is a dangerous ideologue with a direct line to Obama. I was with Kabila I when Rice arrived in Kinshasa after a public toasting and feting of Kagame in Kigali. Kabila welcomed Susan Rice at the airport by saying "I welcome you to Kinshasa as the ambassador from Rwanda". There are many impediments in the effort to get a reasoned position in Foggy Bottom.

[Pete]

I think Western governments should fund a mercenary brigade under JMA to sort out this latest fouled-up situation in Africa. Just imagine, a unit with guys from SAS, Parachute Regiment, the Selous Scouts, and the Waffen SS! Were JMA to be able to pull this one off and emerge victorious he'd become utterly insufferable on the forum, it would be a case of "I told you so" every time you turned around!

[JMA]

I think Western governments should fund a mercenary brigade under JMA to sort out this latest fouled-up situation in Africa. Just imagine, a unit with guys from SAS, Parachute Regiment, the Selous Scouts, and the Waffen SS! Were JMA to be able to pull this one off and emerge victorious he'd become utterly insufferable on the forum, it would be a case of "I told you so" every time you turned around!

Nice one Pete.

No brigade needed... just three cruise missiles like I said.



...PS: its not that I'm so clever... its that some others are so stupid

[ocnus]

It is interesting that you mention Cruise missiles. After the attack on Pademba Prison in Freetown a number of Sierra Leone worthies were evacuated to a US vessel standing offshore. One of the Sierra Leoneans turned to the US Marine General and suggested that he send a Cruise missile towards Freetown to frighten the rebels. The general made a classic reply "If I send a Cruise missile towards Freetown, it would have to fly as far as Dubai before it could ht anything worth more than the missile".

[davidbfpo]

A long commentary by Knox Chiteyo, from the RUSI, on the BBC News:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11952773

The French presence:

.. France...has 900 highly trained soldiers based near Abidjan airport. The official role of these troops is to be the Rapid Reaction Force of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast.

However, if soldiers from the former colonial power France joined forces with anyone to take Ivory Coast by force it would be political dynamite.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12096437