Ivory Coast talks continue in SA
Matome Sebelebele
17 December 2004
Talks on the political future of the Ivory Coast continued in Pretoria on Friday, with President Thabo Mbeki expected to join the discussions later in the day.
This to review proposals and progress on ways to find lasting peace in the troubled west African state.
Presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo confirmed that Mbeki would join the talks, which are being led by Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and rebel leaders of the New Forces, Louis Dacoury-Tabley and Dosso Moussa.
The delegates are thrashing out peace proposals on disarmament, security reforms, a government of national reconciliation and the contentious Article 35 of the Constitution barring main opposition leader Alassane Outtara from contesting the country's presidency.
Mbeki, who has been mandated by the African Union to mediate in the conflict, recently persuaded the Ivory Coast government and rebels to agree on a new timetable to carry out a long-stalled peace
plan to bring stability to the world's leading cocoa producer.
Conflict erupted when rebels staged an uprising against President Laurent Gbagbo two years ago, effectively splitting the country into a Muslim-dominated rebel north and Christian government-held south.
The rebels accused Gbagbo of disenfranchising the Muslim-dominated north.
The country was recently plunged into crisis again, with looting and violence against French nationals, following a government-led air offensive on rebel held targets.
Source: BuaNews
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