I Coast: SA invites opposition
2004-11-10 10:08
Johannesburg - Arrangements were under way to invite opposition groups of the Ivory Coast for peace talks to South Africa, presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said on Wednesday.
It was hoped Mbeki could meet these leaders by the end of the week, Khumalo told Sapa.
"Arrangements are being made by Department of Foreign Affairs to invite them to South Africa to consult with the president (Thabo Mbeki) on the situation in the Ivory Coast."
Mbeki returned to South Africa early on Wednesday from a day-long peace mission to Ivory Coast. His presidential aircraft landed in Cape Town at dawn.
Wrapping up the mission on Tuesday, Mbeki said he was "pleased" by his counterpart President Laurent Gbagbo's commitment to restoring peace in the Ivory Coast.
Fresh outbreaks of violence in the strife-torn west African country killed at least 130 people in the past week.
Clashes between the government, rebels and French peacekeepers shattered an 18-month-old ceasefire in the Ivory Coast.
The African Union and the Economic Community of West African States asked Mbeki earlier in the week to try and restore peace.
Mbeki, accompanied by Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad, met Gbagbo in Abidjan Tuesday afternoon.
Mbeki has played a key role in mediating the two years of crisis choking Ivory Coast, once a beacon of stability and economic prosperity.
Khumalo said Mbeki's next step was to send a report on Tuesday's visit to the headquarters of the AU.
Mbeki is reportedly scheduled to meet the head of the European Union, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, next week to discuss the Ivory Coast crisis.
- SAPA