The launch of the identification and voter registration operations for upcoming presidential polls in Côte d’Ivoire confirms that the electoral process is irreversible, the top United Nations official to the West African country said today. Speaking in the capital, Yamoussoukro, at the launch of the operations, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative Y. J. Choi said the launch offered an historic opportunity for Ivorians to resolve the issue of identification once and for all.

He called the operations’ start a milestone that caps the significant progress so far in the much-delayed electoral process in Côte d’Ivoire, which became divided in 2002 between the Government-controlled south and the rebel-held north before a peace deal struck early last year reconciled the groups.

Identification of Ivorians, and thus determining their eligibility for voting, has been one of the key points of contention in the country in recent years.

Mr. Choi said today that the international community in general and the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) in particular remained firmly committed to ensuring that Ivorians can go to the polls soon to elect a president and conclude their peace process.

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo praised Mr. Choi at today’s launch for his understanding of Ivorian issues and contribution to the peace process.