Ivorian leader urges UN Assembly to partially end arms embargo
The President of Côte d’Ivoire today called for a partial lifting of the arms embargo against his country, which in 2002 split between a rebel-held north and Government-controlled south, telling the General Assembly that the territory is now reunited.
President Laurent Gbagbo said that as Côte d’Ivoire emerges from crisis, it needs the support of the international community more than ever to build peace and stability within its borders and in the West African region.
Given the climate of calm now prevailing, he asked the UN to revise downward its security rating, saying that “phase III no longer reflects reality.” The UN uses different ‘phases’ to indicate the level of safety for staff; phase III requires relocation.
Declaring that Côte d’Ivoire is “reunified” and that the State must restore law and order throughout the country, he called for a partial lifting of the weapons embargo so that the country can “carry out its task of protecting people and goods.”
He said sanctions remain on individuals who have “put heart and soul into seeking peace,” and asked the UN lift those measures as they applied to three individuals: Charles Goudé Ble, Eugène Djue and Kouakou Fofie.
President Gbagbo also sought international funding to support actions related directly to resolving the country’s crisis through peacebuilding. “Côte d’Ivoire requires international aid to strengthen the basis for a more robust economic recovery in the long-term,” he said, pointing out that the conflict caused extensive damage to infrastructure which must be rebuilt.
He emphasized the importance of holding free and fair elections, calling this the “culmination” of the peace process. “We must organize elections quickly in order to confer legitimacy on those who are exercising State power,” he said.
Drawing on his own experience in negotiating an end to the impasse in Côte d’Ivoire, the President said the United Nations should provide support to local solutions to conflict situations.