SA urges I Coast to appoint PM
2005-11-02 20:49
Cape Town - Key mediator South Africa warned on Wednesday that if a "much stronger" new prime minister was not appointed soon in war-riven Ivory Coast, the West African nation could be plunged into deeper crisis.
"If the new prime minister is not found soon the situation there could deteriorate," said foreign affairs deputy minister Aziz Pahad in Cape Town.
"The situation in Ivory Coast demands a new prime minister who is much stronger and has a better relationship with (President Laurent Gbagbo)," said Pahad.
A new transition prime minister is due to be chosen under orders endorsed by the African Union and the United Nations after Seydou Diarra's term came to an end.
Meanwhile Gbagbo was given a new lease of life by the African Union and the United Nations, who have approved a 12-month extension of his mandate to organise elections which were to be held on Sunday but which were postponed until both rebels who hold the north of the country and militias disarm and a sheaf of political reforms are passed.
'Get peace process back on track'
The 12-month extension is also designed to allow for large-scale disarmament to take place and for new election laws to be drafted.
"It is vital that the new prime minister uses all his powers to get this process back on track," said Pahad.
"The new prime minister must be able to disarm militia groups and create an environment for the elections," said Pahad.
Pahad also urged the Ivorian leaders to show commitment in finding solutions to problems in that West African world's largest cocoa producing country.
"The Ivorian leaders must show commitment to find a solution and not create obstacles to implement the signed agreements," said Pahad.
"They have to act decisively because Ivory Coast is vital in that region," he said.
Ivory Coast remains riven by political tensions that threaten to explode after the October 30 deadline and has been split between rebel north and loyalist south since a failed coup sparked months of civil war in September 2002.