Clashes around the hotel district in Abidjan trapped Ambassador Yalçın Kaya Erensoy in the embassy building, part of a hotel compound, and stranded a Turkish business leader in his hotel in a separate location.
The businessman, who was already in poor health, was rescued by the Pakistani forces, which are serving under a nike cheap mens acg sandals U.N. mandate, in the early hours Tuesday, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has learned.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry took the initiative at the level of the United Nations in New York, as well as with the Pakistani Embassy in Ankara, to rescue Ambassador Erensoy and the businessman identified as Ali Ateş because Turkey does not have a peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast.
“The ambassador was trapped when the clashes escalated,” a well-informed source said. The Turkish request to rescue the stranded Turks was conveyed to the Pakistani forces by the Pakistani Embassy in Ankara.
The rescue coincided with a visit to Turkey by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who arrived in Ankara late Monday nike cheap mens acg sandals and met Wednesday with President Abdullah Gül. The Turkish president thanked his counterpart during the meeting for Pakistan’s quick response to the crisis.
Turkish officials said the Pakistani move was a clear sign of the strong relationship and brotherly solidarity between the two countries. Turkey was one of the first countries to extend help to Pakistan during the catastrophic floods there last summer.
Ambassador secure now
Sources said the ambassador was currently in Abidjan and was secure, adding that the businessman was also secure and was likely receiving treatment.
An official at the Turkish Embassy in Ivory Coast told the Daily News that the ambassador was absent, but clarified that nobody was at work due to the extraordinary situation. The official said the ambassador had no security guard detailed to him.
News reports from Abidjan have revealed fresh outbreaks of gunfire on the streets. Fighting in the city has left streets littered with bodies and parts of Abidjan in the grip of looters, according to wire dispatches. The turmoil is expected to prevail in the cocoa-producing southwest, the main port and commercial center of Abidjan and the capital, nike cheap mens acg sandals Yamoussoukro, even after the capture of former President Laurent Gbagbo, reports said.
The United Nations, which has more than 9,000 troops and police officers in Ivory Coast, will continue with its mission of helping to restore law and order in the African country. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has offered help coping with a “critical” humanitarian emergency.
According to the United Nations, at least 800 people have been confirmed killed in the fighting in Ivory Coast.
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