Article

2005-04-07 Africa: Subsaharan

And I'm going to lose fifty pounds next week.

The Ivory Coast's government, rebels and opposition leaders agreed in Pretoria yesterday to end the hostilities which have ravaged the world's top cocoa-producing state, killed thousands of people and left millions homeless since 2002. All the parties agreed to "solemnly declare the immediate and final cessation of all hostilities and the end of the war throughout the national territory", their statement said.

President Laurent Gbagbo, the rebel leader Guillaume Soro, and the opposition politicians Alassane Ouattara and Henri Konan Bedie signed the declaration.

The South African president, Thabo Mbeki, chaired the talks and helped draft the final agreement. "All the parties stayed up until nearly 3am to reach this agreement and then President Mbeki worked with them to draft the agreement," Mr Mbeki's spokesman, Bheki Khumalo, said. "We think it is a decisive breakthrough that will bring lasting peace, which is what the people of the Ivory Coast deserve.

"All sides are ebullient and buoyant. All sides agreed to a cessation of hostilities and steps for disarmament."

The agreement gives a more prominent role to the prime minister, Seydou Diarra, who is seen as much more moderate and conciliatory than President Gbagbo.

The most difficult part of the talks was the question of eligibility to stand for the presidency. In the 2000 election the opposition leader, Alassan Ouattara, was disqualified on the grounds that his parents were not born in Ivory Coast. The final decision has been left to Mr Mbeki, who will consult the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, and President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, who heads the African Union.

The fix is in.

The agreement is expected to end the hostilities which have split Ivory Coast between the government-held south and the rebel-controlled north. "Above all ... this was an agreement between Ivorians ... we really worked and identified the problems and sought to resolve them," Mr Gbagbo said after signing the accord.

The two sides have agreed several times to end the war, but their previous undertakings were handicapped by mutual distrust, because neither was willing to compromise on key demands. The Pretoria talks were regarded as the last chance to salvage peace in the former French colony.

Cocoa prices in London and New York fell after news of the agreement was announced, easing the fear of that further disruption of supply. Ivory Coast produces 40% of the world's cocoa beans.

Posted by Steve White 2005-04-07 11:25:02 PM|| || Front Page|| [11142 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Cocoa dealers must be obnoxiously optimistic people...

Posted by tu3031 2005-04-07 12:15:06 PM|| 2005-04-07 12:15:06 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 It's not over by a longshot. Give them 6 months, tops, to rest and then get back to their customary and traditional vocations.

Posted by Tkat 2005-04-07 12:18:50 PM|| 2005-04-07 12:18:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 We have heard all this before on numerous occasions. Wait a few months for the next round of fighting.

Posted by Mark Espinola 2005-04-08 12:02:42 AM|| 2005-04-08 12:02:42 AM|| Front Page Top

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