IVORY COAST’s Laurent Gbagbo has agreed to talks over his country’s political crisis but mediation from regional leaders failed to end the stand-off over a disputed election.
After a series of meetings between a delegation from the regional bloc Ecowas and the two men who claim to have won November’s presidential election – incumbent Mr Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara – Ecowas said Mr Gbagbo had agreed to negotiate a “peaceful end” to the crisis without preconditions.
He also pledged to lift the blockade around the Hotel du Golf, the temporary residence of Mr Ouattara in Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s economic capital.
Mr Ouattara, recognised by the UN and EU as the winner of November’s election, has been confined to the hotel, under the protection of a UN peacekeeping force, since polling day.
“For his part, Mr Alassane Ouattara indicated his willingness to ensure a dignified exit for Mr Gbagbo provided the latter accepted the outcome of the presidential election as declared by the independent electoral commission and certified by the United Nations,” Ecowas said.
This followed the second visit to Ivory Coast in recent days by the presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde. On Monday, they were joined by Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga, representing the African Union.
Mr Odinga appeared to put to rest yesterday speculation a power-sharing deal was up for discussion, saying that outcome would “actually hamper the democratisation process on the continent”.
Hopes the Ecowas statement could herald a breakthrough were tempered within hours, however, when Mr Ouattara’s camp rejected the offer of talks and insisted that the crisis could only be resolved by Mr Gbagbo’s departure.
Regional leaders, supported by France and the US, have been trying to persuade Mr Gbabgo to cede power peacefully but, despite the offer of an amnesty and safe passage to the US, he has so far given no indication that he is willing to step down.
Ecowas has previously warned that it is prepared to use “legitimate force” to oust Mr Gbagbo if he does not relinquish power, but the bloc is thought to be reluctant to intervene militarily.
Ecowas has sent forces into previous conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone, but in both cases they were invited by governments in place.
Regional powers fear a protracted campaign against the Ivorian army, which remains loyal to Mr Gbagbo, and the prospect of reprisal attacks on millions of their own citizens in Ivory Coast – a long-time economic hub in West Africa.
President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, which holds Ecowas’s rotating presidency, described the situation as a “stalemate”, adding: “Don’t expect that if there’s a major crisis in a country, we just jump in . . . and the matter is resolved.” Over 170 people have been killed since the elections, which were meant to reunite a country riven by civil war in 2002. The north is still controlled by a former rebel movement that supports Mr Ouattara.
He was initially declared the winner by Ivory Coast’s electoral commission, but the constitutional council – led by an ally of Mr Gbagbo – later ruled the incumbent had won. Both men have nominated cabinet members and organised separate swearing-in ceremonies.
France has 900 soldiers on the ground in its former colony, but President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday ruled out deploying them in any military action to remove Mr Gbagbo from power.
“The president of Ivory Coast is Alassane Ouattara,” Mr Sarkozy said. “I call on all parties to respect the clearly expressed choice of the Ivorian people.”