UN mission seeks faster progress to Ivorian peace
Source: Reuters
By Peter Murphy ABIDJAN, June 19 (Reuters) - A U.N. Security Council delegation pressed Ivory Coast's politicians to speed sluggish progress on a home-grown peace deal aimed at reuniting the West African state, during a brief visit that ended on Tuesday. President Laurent Gbagbo reached an agreement with rebels in March for a 10-month plan for disarmament and the organisation of long-delayed elections, but deadlines for some interim steps have already been missed. The Security Council ambassadors, who are touring five African states, met Gbagbo and rebel leader Guillaume Soro who was appointed prime minister in April. The New Forces rebels seized control of northern Ivory Coast in a brief 2002-2003 war. Delegation chief Jorge Voto-Bernales of Peru said the Ivorian leaders told them that an identification process to issue ID papers to many thousands who have none would begin soon, enabling Ivorian nationals among them to vote. "We were given reassurances that these processes would start very soon," he told reporters at a news conference at the Abidjan headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping mission. The group had discussed with the parties the question of whether to maintain a U.N. High Representative for Elections to certify the vote as free and fair. Gbagbo said last month he asked for the current representative, Gerard Stoudmann, to be removed, accusing him of meddling. However, Gbagbo and other senior politicians agreed this month the role of elections representative should remain. France's Ambassador to the Security Council Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said the Security Council would consult on the issue with Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore, who has been mediating in the crisis this year. De la Sabliere said the Security Council would decide upon the issue in a resolution it would adopt before the end of June. "The essential thing for us is to guarantee the credibility of the electoral process and the important thing, once again, is that no one can contest the result of the elections," he said. The delegation was due to arrive later on Tuesday in Democratic Republic of Congo for the final leg of its tour.
| AlertNet news is provided by |  |
