Annan regrets that peacekeepers are being blocked in Côte d'Ivoire

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today expressed regret that the movements of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d'Ivoire were being impeded and he called on Ivorians to "refrain from any action that may undermine the peace process."

Referring to recent reports from the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) about the recent obstructions in the Government-controlled southern half of the divided country now emerging from civil strife, Mr. Annan said he regretted that the mission "still does not enjoy the full freedom of movement required to effectively carry out its mandate, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions."

He welcomed President Laurent Gbagbo's statement on Tuesday urging all Ivorians from obstructing UNOCI's movements.

UNOCI was set up last year to help maintain a ceasefire between Government forces in the south and the rebel Forces nouvelles in the north of the world's top cocoa producer.

Two unarmed UNOCI military observers received a hostile reception and had their vehicle ransacked on Thursday in Gagnoa, a town west of the commercial hub, Abidjan, in the second such incident in the southern town in two days.

A crowd in the same town, which is 271 kilometres from Abidjan, forced a UNOCI civilian team to turn back on Wednesday as they went to meet senior local officials, the mission said.

Meanwhile, as he wound up his work in Côte d'Ivoire, UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Alan Doss told journalists that UNOCI would decide soon whether to launch an international inquiry into a reported attack by unidentified people on towns just north of Abidjan, still in the Government-ruled south.

Prime Minister Seydou Diarra had asked the UN to conduct the investigation of the 23 July overnight assault on Anyama and Agboville and the mission was trying to find out when investigators would be available, Mr. Doss told journalists.

Last week when a UNOCI civilian team, comprising human rights experts and civilian police (CIVPOL), went to Agboville, 70 kilometres north of Abidjan, it was prevented from carrying out its assessment mission, the mission said then. In July, the reports of the attack led to the immediate deployment of UNOCI troops in the area, but the local population prevented the peacekeepers from entering the town for 48 hours.

Mr. Doss urged the Ivorian news media to make positive contributions to resolving the country's complex problems by distinguishing always between opinion and fact. He reminded them that the return of peace to Côte d'Ivoire was significant for the return of peace and stability to the whole sub-region and the continent.

Mr. Doss is scheduled to take up his new position as Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Liberia on Monday.