INTERVIEW-Illicit enrichment impedes Ivorian peace - U.N.
Source: Reuters
By Peter Murphy ABIDJAN, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Illicit wealth generated by war-divided Ivory Coast's enduring crisis has dimmed the resolve of the nation's political foes to reunite and work towards long-delayed elections, a senior U.N. official said on Friday. The West African country, divided into a rebel north and government south since a brief 2002/03 civil war, has the world's biggest cocoa industry as well as significant mineral resources including oil and diamonds. A string of peace deals have so far made little progress to ending a conflict which rebels say erupted over discrimination against mainly Muslim northerners by the mostly Christian south. "Without political will on the Ivorian side, we won't achieve (elections). For too long, progress has been hindered by the absence of political will among those who benefit from the status quo," the U.N. High Representative for Elections in Ivory Coast, Gerard Stoudmann, told Reuters in an interview. "There are financial benefits, there's corruption and trafficking of all kinds. I would say you certainly have people who are now in very comfortable, profitable situations because of the absence of law and government authority," Stoudmann said. The U.N. Security Council adopted a new plan earlier this month scheduling reunification and elections within 12 months. It was the second delay to presidential elections which were originally due in October 2005. International donors have long clamoured for greater transparency in the country's cocoa sector, worth approaching $2 billion a year. In May, the International Monetary Fund made that a pre-condition for any resumption of frozen aid programmes. A U.N. report last month said Ivory Coast's rebels were exporting diamonds from their northern territory in violation of a U.N. embargo and government-imposed ban on sales of the gems. Transparency International ranks Ivory Coast as one of the world's most corrupt countries, at 153 of 163 countries in its corruption perception index. Motorists in the lagoon-side main city of Abidjan complain of having to pay bribes to get through the many police roadlocks. Analysts expect further deadlock as interim Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny, given extra powers under the U.N. peace plan, pursues his task of preparing elections. Though he has not openly rejected the U.N. peace blueprint, President Laurent Gbagbo has said he will not implement any requirements within it which are contrary to the constitution -- which analysts believe is a reference to Banny's extra powers. These include the right for Banny to legislate independently of the president and parliament and the "necessary authority" over the armed forces. But Stoudmann said all sides had to commit to implementing the resolution in full to ensure the "tight" election deadline would be met. "People must move on from speeches, to action. Once again, it's a question of political will," he said.
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