Arms talks collapse in I Coast
2005-05-07 19:08
Yamoussoukro - Representatives of the army and rebels in the Ivory Coast on Saturday failed to reach agreement on a long-overdue disarmament process, a key condition of the latest peace pact signed to end two years of crisis in the west African state, and suspended the negotiations, military officials said.
The officials said the parties would meet again on Friday.
The talks between the government forces and the rebel New Forces began on Tuesday and were to have concluded with a plenary session Friday, but the negotiations were continued for another day as important differences remained in the working group dealing with disarmament and demobilization issues.
The conference, in a luxury hotel in Yamoussoukro, the political capital, was also attended by UN and French military representatives.