In a strongly worded statement, UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has expressed concern over a decree issued by Cote d’Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo allowing parliament to remain in office beyond its official mandate. Annan stated that he was in disagreement with Gbagbo’s conclusions. "This announcement does not appear to be in conformity with the information he received from President Obasanjo and from the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire on the outcome of the visit of the President of Nigeria to Abidjan," his statement said.