UN mission launches nationwide radio broadcast in divided Côte d'Ivoire
Calling the radio station a partner in the peace progress, the station’s chief said its aim was to relay open and honest dialogue, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said today.
Every opinion would be welcome, as long as broadcasters avoided insults and acrimonious exchanges, he said.
The station carries the name of the peacekeeping mission's French acronym, ONUCI-FM.
The establishment of the radio responds to a February 2004 Security Council resolution establishing the mission. That text mandated ONUCI to promote understanding of the peace process among local communities and the parties "through an effective public information capacity, including the establishment, as necessary, of a United Nations radio broadcasting capability."