Letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
I am writing to inform the Committee of a change
to our diplomatic representation in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
On 1 April 2005 we suspended operations in our
Embassy in Abidjan, and withdrew all UK diplomatic staff from
the country, due to the uncertain security situation.
Following a review of our representation in
Côte d'Ivoire, I have decided to appoint a First Secretary
in Abidjan to provide political reporting and analysis. This officer
will operate from within the United States Embassy. We intend
to accredit Gordon Wetherell, High Commissioner in Accra, as Ambassador
to Côte d'Ivoire, and are currently seeking agreement to
this from the authorities. I also plan to appoint a British national
resident in Abidjan to act as Honorary Consul, to assist British
nationals in difficulty.
Though we will be vacating our current premises,
this does not constitute a permanent decision to close our Embassy
in Abidjan. I judge that the new arrangement will provide the
right level of representation without placing our staff at undue
risk, given the real and continuing security threat to foreign
nationals in Abidjan. But I intend to review the position on a
regular basis.
Jack Straw MP
Foreign Secretary
19 January 2006
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