Ivory Coast extradition row

Paris is the new home for the ousted leader Henri Konan Bedie

A row is brewing between France and Ivory Coast over an arrest warrant issued for the former leader of the West African state, Henri Konan Bedie, on charges of stealing public money.

This harassment and manoeuvring are doomed to fail

Henri Konan Bedie

Mr Bedie was flown to Paris last December by French troops after being overthrown in a military coup led by Gen Robert Guei. He has been living in exile in Paris ever since.

Earlier this week the Ivory Coast authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. But French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine denied on Wednesday that any warrants had been handed over.

"At this stage we have received no warrant," he told Radio France Internationale.

But he said rogatory letters - a kind of international subpoena - had been sent by Ivory Coast officials.

'Political considerations'

"Now, judicial procedures are not generally commented on; I would simply like to say that - in the absence of further information - I hope it is not all inspired by political considerations," he went on.

Vedrine: "No warrant received"

"As regards the situation in Ivory Coast, what is very important for us is for there to be a return to a normal constitutional situation."

He said Paris had been putting pressure on the Ivory Coast leadership to make a commitment for a return to democracy, with dates set for a referendum and presidential elections.

Last month Gen Guei said the two polls would take place on 23rd July and 17th September respectively.

"I think we reacted as was necessary," Mr Vedrine said.

"But we are waiting for these electoral commitments to materialize, and we are waiting to confirm that it will all go ahead in the best conditions of transparency and democracy."

Little chance of extradition

Bedie himself has made it clear he sees little chance of his being extradited from France to face trial.

"I do not think they will put me on a plane just to please the de facto authorities who have no legitimacy," he told French TF1 TV on Tuesday.

"I have confidence in France as state based on the rule of law... This harassment and manoeuvring are doomed to fail."

Gen Guei wants Bedie to face trial

Later in a statement he condemned the extradition move as "a purely political act whose sole aim is to exclude me as a candidate in the presidential elections".

Ivory Coast, a former French colony, has an agreement for judicial cooperation with Paris.

According to the Ivory Coast newspaper, Le Patriote, the authorities want to extradite Bedie's wife and brother-in-law as well.

It said that according to officials, over 20m dollars were embezzled during Bedie's term in office and hidden in bank accounts in Switzerland and Luxembourg.

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