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UN envoy urges Côte d'Ivoire parties to follow peace agreement

UN envoy urges Côte d'Ivoire parties to follow peace agreement

The United Nations envoy to Côte d'Ivoire today called on the post-conflict West African country to support new negotiations so that problems with key peace accords can be ironed out.

Towards this end, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Albert Tévoédjré, said "a 'Memorandum of Political Signatories of the Linas-Marcoussis and Accra II Agreements,' was handed over to the Head of State today."

The first of those texts was signed in Linas-Marcoussis, France, in January 2003, ending fierce fighting between the Government and the then-rebellious Forces Nouvelles which together formed a government of national unity. In March 2003, 10 signatories to that pact met in Ghana and reached the Accra II agreement, which sets out the procedures for resolving the impasse over the appointment of the Ministers for Defence and Internal Security.

Mr. Tévoédjré today said that former President Henri Konan Bedié "personally informed me that he had contacted the Head of State and that discussions on points of contention as outlined in said Memorandum, were to begin today."

The envoy appealed to all Ivoirians to "throw their weight behind this process so that an appropriate solution would be found to each issue found in the Memorandum."

All are bound by the Linas-Marcoussis compromise and laws enshrining that agreement should be passed without delay, while free, fair and transparent elections should be held within the timeframe prescribed, Mr. Tévoédjré said.

He noted that in a conversation with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday, President Laurent Gbagbo had reiterated his readiness to make sure that normalcy returns to Côte d'Ivoire as soon as possible.

The UN Security Council has approved a full peacekeeping mission for Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) starting next month, to replace the small mission (MINUCI) currently in place, along with an Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) force (ECOMICI), which will be folded into UNOCI.

In the same resolution, the Council separately authorized "for a period of 12 months from 4 April 2004 the French forces to use all necessary means in order to support UNOCI in accordance with the agreement to be reached between UNOCI and the French authorities, and in particular to contribute to the general security of the area of activity of the international forces."