Ivory Coast: SA in the dark
2005-09-01 11:35
Pretoria - South Africa has not been informed of the apparent rejection of its mediation role by Ivory Coast rebels, the Foreign Affairs department said on Thursday.
"We have heard nothing, except through the media," spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said in the morning.
South Africa had no intention of approaching the rebel New Forces for a clarification, he added.
In a statement to French news agency AFP on Wednesday, rebel spokesman Sidi Konate said: "Starting today, the New Forces completely reject the South Africa mediation in the Ivory Coast".
According to AFP, the rebels have accused President Thabo Mbeki of being motivated by economic expansionism, giving biased rulings, and selling arms to his counterpart Laurent Gbagbo's government.
They called on the African Union (AU) - which elected Mbeki to mediate - to arrange new mediation in the divided west African nation.
South Africa has added to heightening tensions ahead of presidential elections in Ivory Coast - probably on October 30 - with confusing messages about the status of the mediation, AFP reported.
South African deputy foreign minister Aziz Pahad told reporters on Tuesday that "...the mediation's role by and large has now concluded" and that the United Nations and AU should take over peace efforts.
But on Wednesday, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota assured the UN Security Council South African mediation would continue.
In its statement to AFP, the New Forces also accused Pahad of showing the mediator's bias in favour of Gbagbo.
Rebels from the Muslim-dominated north of the Ivory-Coast have been pitted against the Christian population in the south since a failed coup against Gbagbo in September 2002.
The rebels announced last week their decision to withdraw support for the presidential elections.
- SAPA