Although French officials claim that they initiated the Article 96 consultations between the European Union and the Côte d’Ivoire (see below) which resulted in the temporary suspension of E.U. assistance, those directly involved at the European Commission state that the French were firmly opposed to the E.U. action.141 Indeed, the French resumed their bilateral civilian cooperation with the Côte d’Ivoire in January 2001 just as the E.U. decision to undertake Article 96 consultations was made. It seems clear that the French strongly supported the resumption of E.U. and other bilateral assistance to Côte d’Ivoire, even if that aid was not linked to progress on the human rights and justice front. Gbagbo himself had been closely linked to the Socialist Party in France, and lived in France during his exile in the 1980s. Given France’s current “cohabitation” government, with the Socialists holding the Prime Minister’s office, and the Gaullist Rassemblement pour la République (RPR) holding the presidency, relations between France and Gbagbo were potentially complicated. However, President Jacques Chirac met Gbagbo in January 2001 at the Franco-African summit in Cameroon, which resulted in a personal invitation from Chirac for Gbagbo to visit France. Gbagbo went to Paris in June 2001 and held extensive high-level meetings with French officials, including with President Chirac, Prime Minister Jospin, and the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, interior and cooperation, as well as the presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate.142 Behind the scenes, there was some competition between the Socialists and the Elysée (the French presidency) about influence on the new Ivorian president, but none of the French actors publicly highlighted concerns on the human rights and justice issues, or linked progress in these areas with French support. There was a general consensus on the need for France to support Gbagbo, end the country’s international isolation, and help ensure that E.U. and other financial assistance would be restored. Some French aid to Côte d’Ivoire was cut off in January 2000 in response to the December 1999 coup, notably the assistance of the technical advisors attached to the ministries and to the senior military command, although they remained in the country working at the French embassy. Other assistance deemed beneficial to the population continued, including aid for health and education, as did military training in regional schools. In January 2001, France resumed its full bilateral civilian cooperation, and in June, it resumed some military cooperation. Other forms of military cooperation, such as arms sales and transfers, spare parts for military aircraft, and visits to France by high-level Ivorian military officers, remain suspended.143 The United States The United States publicly condemned the electoral irregularities and human rights violations associated with the Ivorian elections in both October and December, and called for the authorities to cease intimidation and violence directed at opposition supporters. On October 25, 2000, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip T.Reeker referred to “gross violations of democratic process,” and called on all parties “to refrain from violence and come up with an interim agreement that can respect the will of the Ivorian people and return to the rule of law and get Côte d’Ivoire back on the democratic path.”144 On October 26, Reeker called the election “fundamentally flawed” and went on to say that “it is going to be very important for the voices of the disenfranchised Ivorians to be heard, and in that sense the holding of free, fair and inclusive elections will be needed to fully restore the Government of Côte d’Ivoire’s legitimacy and bring democracy back to Côte d’Ivoire.”145 The U.S. suspended approximately $1.2 million in electoral support in December when it determined that the elections could not be free and fair, based in part on the exclusion of numerous opposition candidates, although it did provide some assistance for the municipal elections in March, focusing on assistance to Ivorian NGOs for voter education and election monitoring. 141 Human Rights Watch interviews in Brussels, June 25, 2001. Stephen Smith, “La Côte d’Ivoire Cherche l’Aide de la France,” Le Monde, June 19, 2001. 143 Human Rights Watch interview with Francis Blondet, Sous-Directeur, Afrique Occidentale, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paris, June 29, 2001. 144 “Press Briefing,” U.S. Department of State, October 25, 2000. Briefer: Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman. 145 “Press Briefing,” U.S. Department of State, October 26, 2000. Briefer: Philip T. Reeker. 142 Human Rights Watch 64 August 2001, Vol. 13, No. 6(A)