16 August 2006

South African President Thabo Mbeki has raised concern over the slow pace of the implementation of the disarmament agreement in Ivory Coast.

Welcoming the new Ghanaian ambassador to South Africa, Jimmy Heymann, in Pretoria on Tuesday, Mbeki commended President John Kufour of Ghana for the role he played in bringing an end to the impasse in Ivory Coast.

He urged Kufour to continue his consultations with warring factions in that country in order to speed up the implementation of the agreed disarmament truce.

Mbeki and Kufour have played pivotal roles in bringing an end to violent civil conflict in the West African country.

Appointed by the African Union, Mbeki's mediation endeavours in the crisis in Ivory Coast paid off when the five main warring leaders signed a peace agreement, dubbed the Tshwane Agreement, in Pretoria in 2005.

The leaders included President Laurent Gbagbo, Prime Minister Seydou Diarra, New Forces rebel leader Guillaume Soro, former Ivory Coast president Henri Konan Bedie and former prime minister Alassane Ouattara.

In terms of the Tshwane Agreement, the leaders agreed to continue the peace process and resolve some of the outstanding issues of the Linas-Marcoussis, Accra II and III agreements.

Source: BuaNews

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