Ivorian envoy delivers message to President Kufuor

Accra, July 21 GNA - Ms Ottho Zinignon Sarata Toure, a Special Envoy of Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo on Wednesday delivered a message to President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu.

They later held a meeting behind closed doors.

Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Press Secretary to the President, briefing newsmen said the discussion was in connection with the impending high-level meeting of all Ivorian political forces in Accra on July 29 to push the Ivorian peace process forward.

The meeting being convened at the instance of Busumuru Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, who is expected to attend, is a follow-up to an initial one held at the just-ended Third Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ivorian President Gbagbo and the Prime Minister Seydou Diarra would attend the meeting as well as South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo are also expected to attend the meeting to be hosted by ECOWAS Chairman President Kufuor.

The Presidents of Gabon, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Ghana, who attended the Addis Abbaba meeting, have indicated their willingness to attend.

Also expected are Mr Alpha Omar Konare, Chairman of the AU Commission, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary of ECOWAS and Mr Lansana Kouyate, Executive Secretary of L'organisation Pour La Francophonie.

Leaders of the main political forces, including former President Konan Bedie, Opposition Leader Alassane Ouattara, former Prime Minister Afie N'Guessan and Mr Guillamme Soro leader of the New Forces, would be present.

President Kufuor is expected to meet some of the leaders in Accra ahead of the Accra meeting while President Gbagbo is also to meet the Burkinabe and Malian Presidents before the Accra meeting to fashion out some useful points for advancing peace in Cote D'Ivoire. 21 July 04