W African leaders to hold talks

2005-09-30 13:05

Abuja - West African heads of states were due to hold a summit on Friday in Nigeria in a bid to revive the faltering peace process in Ivory Coast, despite the Ivorian president's decision not to attend.

Uwem Thomspon of the Economic Community of West African States said ten African leaders were taking part in the Abuja summit, including the presidents of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana.

The summit seeks to ensure that agreements reached under a series of peace deals are respected, and that delayed elections, which had been planned for October 30, are held as soon as possible.

In Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan, a presidential aid said on Friday that Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo would not attend the Abuja summit. The aid spoke on condition of anonymity.

October 30 vote 'to be postponed'

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Gbagbo said the 15-nation regional bloc had failed to broker peace in Ivory Coast and accused some of its members of supporting rebels.

He also announced that the scheduled October 30 vote would be postponed, saying that rebels controlling the north of the country had not disarmed.

Gbagbo supporters had long accused neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali of supporting the rebellion, charges both countries denied.

Ivory Coast had been divided between a rebel-held, mainly Muslim north and a government-controlled, majority Christian south since a failed coup in September 2002 triggered nine months of civil war.

There were 10 000 peacekeepers in Ivory Coast - 4 000 from its former colonial master France and 6 000 United Nations troops.

- AP