IVORY COAST: AFRICAN LEADERS END SUMMIT MEETING WITH A CALL FOR IMMEDIATE TALKS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND REBELS TO END MONTH-LONG WAR
Record ID:
183689
IVORY COAST: AFRICAN LEADERS END SUMMIT MEETING WITH A CALL FOR IMMEDIATE TALKS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND REBELS TO END MONTH-LONG WAR
- Title: IVORY COAST: AFRICAN LEADERS END SUMMIT MEETING WITH A CALL FOR IMMEDIATE TALKS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND REBELS TO END MONTH-LONG WAR
- Date: 25th October 2002
- Summary: (EU) ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (OCTOBER 23, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SLV SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI CLIMBS DOWN AIRCRAFT STEPS AS HE ARRIVES IN THE MAIN IVORY COAST CITY OF ABIDJAN 0.07 2. MV SOLDIERS ON ALERT AT AIRPORT 0.11 3. MV MBEKI GETS INTO A CAR TO HEAD TO THE SUMMIT MEETING (2 SHOTS) 0.21 4. MV MALI PRESIDENT AMADOU TOURE ARRIVES AT AIRPORT FOR SUMMIT; SLV FLAGS OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES 0.31 5. SOUNDBITE (French) AMADOU TOURE, PRESIDENT OF MALI, SAYING "We demand the security of people and their goods and also the respect of Malians who live in Ivory Coast." 0.40 6. MV TANDJA MAMADOU, PRESIDENT OF NIGER, ARRIVES AT AIRPORT 0.47 7. SLV LEADERS GATHERED AT THE SUMMIT 0.53 8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) IVORY COAST PRESIDENT LAURENT GBAGBO SAYING "For this problem (the civil war) you have already gone in your capacity as African heads of State to Acca and you have come here today". 1.06 (W8) ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (OCTOBER 23, 2002) (REUTERS) 9. MV PEOPLE IN CONFERENCE HALL 1.10 10. MV IVORY COAST PRESIDENT LAURENT GBAGBO SITS DOWN IN HALL GUARDED BY SOLDIERS 1.17 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOHAMMED IBN CHAMBAS, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES, ECOWAS, SAYING "The heads of state and government agreed on the need for an urgent deployment of an Ecowas monitoring group for the cessation of hostility in the Cote D'Ivoire" 1.29 12. MV TOGO PRESIDENT GNASSINGBE EYADEMA SITS NEXT TO GBAGBO 1.32 13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) GNASSINGBE EYADEMA, PRESIDENT OF TOGO, SAYING "(Our objective) is to guarantee by a monitoring force and at the same time have negotiations so that there's hope for disarmament and the returning of the rebels to their positions". 1.47 14. SCU SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI LISTENS TO SPEECH 1.50 15. MV GBAGBO AND MBEKI LEAVE THE HALL; MV SOLDIERS WATCHING AS DELEGATES LEAVE 1.57 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 9th November 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Reuters ID: LVA4QVEQKM5MMEY6BOUOIEWPF8FC
- Story Text: African leaders ended a summit in Ivory Coast on
Wednesday with a call for immediate talks between the
government and rebels to end a month-long war that has left
hundreds dead and displaced tens of thousands.
The leaders agreed on Wednesday's (October 23, 2002) meeting
on the need for the urgent deployment of a West African force
to replace troops from former colonial power France, currently
keeping the two sides apart under a ceasefire signed by rebels
last week.
Earlier the army accused the rebels of breaking the truce,
although the French said they were unaware of any violation.
No date was set for the talks or the force's deployment at
the summit, attended by South African President Thabo Mbeki
and leaders from Togo, Niger and Mali as well as Nigeria's
foreign minister and Ghana's vice-president.
The Economic Community of West African States is
desperately trying to end the crisis, which threatens to
spread regional turmoil on a tide of refugees.
Togo's Gnassingbe Eyadema, Africa's longest-serving
president, was named by the summit as the coordinator for
mediation to bring the government and rebels to talks.
"(Our objective) is to guarantee by a monitoring force and at
the same time have negotiations so that there's hope for
disarmament and the returning of the rebels to their
positions", said Eyadema, adding that he knew nothing of the
army's allegation that rebels launched attacks early on
Wednesday near the central cocoa industry town of Daloa.
The rebels say their aim is to get President Laurent
Gbagbo to resign so that new elections can be held.
Many of the insurgents are from northern Ivory Coast, a
heavily Muslim opposition heartland which has long complained
of discrimination. It has been under rebel control since a
September 19 coup failed to overthrow Gbagbo.
Gbagbo has much more solid support in the mostly Christian
and animist south, including the main cocoa growing regions of
the world's top producer. The army holds the south.
The conflict has exacerbated years of growing ethnic
bitterness and regional analysts wonder how it will be
possible to keep Ivory Coast together, let alone restore the
reputation for stability it held before a 1999 coup.
Both sides have differing interpretations of the
agreements. Clear sticking points are on disarming the rebels
and returning government authority to areas they control.
The deployment of the French buffer force at key positions
across Ivory Coast is meant to make it harder for either side
to return to the offensive. A company of French paratroops
have joined a mission that is already well over 1,000 strong.
But officials said Gbagbo's government still had qualms
about replacing the French with a West African force.
Many Ivorians on both sides of the ceasefire line have
made it clear they would like to give war another chance.
Anti-foreigner feeling is mushrooming on the government
side, where many blame neighbouring countries for supporting
the rebels and the West for not doing enough to support Gbagbo
as Ivory Coast's elected president.
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin telephoned
Gbagbo to demand he put a stop to anti-French protests. French
troops fired teargas on Tuesday to disperse protesters who
tried to storm their base in Abidjan.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None