Security Council welcomes military agreement in Côte d'Ivoire

Members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed an agreement by the Government and armed opposition in Côte d'Ivoire to undertake a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process (DDR), calling it major progress towards fulfilment of the Pretoria Agreement as mediated by South Africa.

In statement read to the press by this month's Council President, Ambassador Ellen Margrethe Løj of Denmark, the Council urged the parties to fully implement the agreement which, along with a plan for the restructuring of the armed forces, was signed by the Chiefs of Staff of the Ivorian National Armed Forces (FANCI) and the Forces Nouvelles (FN) on 14 May.

Under the Pretoria Agreement, the signatory parties are to carry out actions that include jointly declaring the end of war, disarming and dismantling militias throughout the country, creating one army for the whole West African country and ensuring security for the opposition Forces Nouvelles, especially for its ministers in the Government of National Reconciliation.

In today's statement, members of the Council also called on international donors to provide financial resources to support the DDR process in Côte d'Ivoire.