Thursday, January 6, 2011

PM hopes for peaceful end to Ivory Coast crisis

By ALEX NDEGWA
Prime Minister Raila Odinga said talks to mediate the crisis in Ivory Coast would aim at a peaceful settlement.
The talks were occasioned by the impasse over the result of the presidential election held on November 28, last year.
The Prime Minister, who is the African Union special envoy to Ivory Coast, however, stressed the mission’s position that the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, should hand over power to his rival Alassane Ouattara, who is widely recognised as the victor of the poll.
Raila said the joint AU and Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) mission had offered Gbagbo an amnesty deal, which includes guarantee he won’t face prosecution or persecution if he agrees to cede power.
But the AU/Ecowas contingent will not rule out the possibility of the use of military force to remove Gbagbo in the event peaceful negotiations fail, Raila added.
"The mission re-emphasises that Gbagbo peacefully hands over power to Ouattara without further delay," he said.
The PM, however, added military intervention would be the last resort.
Consequently, another joint high-level delegation would head to Ivory Coast on an undisclosed date to press with the talks.
Both Gbagbo and Ouattara claimed victory after the disputed election and have been running parallel administrations after they were both sworn in as presidents. The international community, however, recognises Ouattara as the President, but Gbagbo has the backing of the military.
Raila spoke to journalists yesterday at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on arrival aboard a Nigerian Air Force Jet.
Presented reportHe said after talks with Gbagbo and Ouattara, he had presented a report to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, the current chairman of the 15-nation Ecowas.
He is scheduled to submit another report to the chairperson of the AU Commission.
Raila said he had shared the Kenyan experience following the disputed 2007 presidential election to the parties involved in the Ivory Coast dispute.
Responding to concerns the crisis had lasted a month, Raila said he did not think "it had taken unnecessarily long", citing delays in mediation talks, which were "only initiated two weeks ago".
He said Gbagbo had agreed to negotiate unconditionally although he had not expressed willingness to surrender power, adding he had lifted the blockade on the Golf Hotel Inter-Continental Abidjan, Ouattara’s base, as a sign of commitment.
Ouattara, Raila added, had stated he would only negotiate on condition Gbagbo recognises him as president-elect. "We will get them to agree to negotiate without giving conditions. What we are looking for is a peaceful resolution," he added.
But yesterday, international media reports indicated the blockade was still in place, and Quattara’s spokesman disputed Raila’s claim.
"The roads are still blocked," Amadou Coulibaly was quoted saying: "We are still surrounded."
Ouattara was declared winner by the electoral commission but Gbagbo challenged the results in the Constitutional Council headed by an ally, which handed him victory.
Presidents Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, Pedro Pires of Cape Verde and Boni Yayi of Benin, were in the peace delegation with Raila.

No comments:

Post a Comment