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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Bozize appoints adviser to oversee implementation of dialogue recommendations

BANGUI, 21 November 2003 (IRIN) - Central African Republic head of state Francois Bozize has appointed Joseph Tchendo, a former special adviser of ousted President Ange-Felix Patasse, to oversee the implementation of recommendations made at the end of the September-October national reconciliation forum, state-owned Radio Centrafrique reported.

As the officer in charge of special duties on the recommendations of the dialogue at the Ministry of Communications and National Reconciliation, Tchendo returns to the limelight of the country's political arena, eight months after Bozize overthrew Patasse in a coup.

Tchendo resigned from his position as secretary-general of Patasse’s Mouvement de Liberation du Peuple Centrafricain (MLPC) some months before the 15 March coup but remained Patasse’s special adviser, with the title of minister of state, without portfolio. He sought refuge at the Chadian embassy to escape possible reprisals from Bozize’s rebels.

Together with former Prime Minister Michel Gbezera Bria, now director of Bozize’s cabinet, Tchendo is among the few Patasse aides who have agreed to work with Bozize. In July, former National Assembly Speaker Appolinaire Konamabaye rejected the post of presidential adviser that Bozize had proposed.

Other Patasse aides are in jail on allegations of embezzlement, breach of state security and other offences.

In the meantime, the Speaker of the National Transitional Council, Nicolas Tiangaye, has called an ordinary session on Friday for the country's law advisory body to examine the revised government’s emergency programme that the council unanimously rejected in October; the 2004 budget; the ratification of a subregional energy accord; the Central Africa peace and security pact; an assistance pact within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States and the mining code.

Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Governance

[ENDS]

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