President Kufuor appeals to Ivorians

The Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President John Agyekum Kufuor, has appealed to Ivorians to give Mr. Elimane Seydou Diarra, the new Prime Minister appointed by consensus in Lina-Marcousis, France, the chance to form a new government for peace to prevail in Cote d'Ivoire.

He said: " Mr. Diarra who returned to Yamoussoukro on Monday is in the country to form a new government and we should give him the chance." President Kufuor was speaking to newsmen after a day's meeting of the ECOWAS High Level Contact Group on the Ivorian crisis at Yamoussoukro.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Togolose President Gnassingbe Eyadema and representatives of Mali, Niger, and Senegal attended the meeting.

Others were Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, Mr. Amara Essy, General Secretary of the African Union (AU), Mr. Jacob Zuma, Deputy President of South Africa, and representatives of France, and the UN.

President Kufuor explained that the meeting was held because three weeks after the Lina-Marcousis accord, many people were getting disturbed and determined to see its implementation.

He said the AU and ECOWAS, therefore, asked the Contact Group to hold consultations with the parties involved in the crisis to ensure that the new Prime Minister form a government and assume work, which formed a major feature of the accord.

In an answer to a question, President Kufuor said the rebels did not boycott the meeting but failed to turn up because of some physical and practical reasons. He said, " The rebels had assured me that they were prepared to attend the call of ECOWAS anywhere to negotiate for peace in Cote d'Ivoire".

President Laurent Gbagbo officially introduced Mr. Diarra, who returned to Yamoussoukro on Monday after consultations with ECOWAS Chairman, President Kufuor in Accra over the weekend, at a news conference after the meeting.

A delegation led by the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS was later sent to Bouke, the stronghold of the rebels for consultations.

President Kufuor had since returned home and was met on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra, by Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama and some Ministers of State.

Meanwhile, Mr. Seydou Diarra has assumed office after Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, at a Press Conference in Yamoussoukro introduced him.

President Gbagbo made the introduction after a day's meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) High Level Contact Group on the Ivorian crisis at Yamoussoukro.

President Gbagbo said the new government to be formed by Prime Minister Diarra would begin a new era in the country's history and pledged to provide the needed assistance and support to him.

He said the introduction of Mr. Diarra at the meeting was in line with the appointment of the Prime Minister by consensus at the Lina-Marcusis accord on the Cote d' Ivoire crisis.

President Gbagbo said the formation of a new government was the principal task ahead of the new Premier, who had presented a list of people to the President for consideration and appointment to ministerial positions.

The President said in negotiating for peace for their country, there was the need to take time to convince the Ivorians on the steps being taken to arrive at that goal.

The Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who read a communiqu? adopted at the end of the meeting reiterated the call by the ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) on the need for the effective implementation of the Lina-Marcoussis accord for peace to prevail in the country.