President Kufuor returns from France

President John Kufuor returned home on Saturday from Paris, France after participating in peace talks leading to the signing of an agreement to end hostilities in Cote d' Ivoire.

Speaking to newsmen, he said the feuding parties accepted the principles of the accord and pledged to ensure peace. President Kufuor said one of the main points in the agreement was the appointment of a Prime Minister to head a government of national unity until general elections in two years.

ECOWAS and France also pledged their commitment to ensure the implementation of the accord. He said the donor community including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was present at the talks promised to help kick start the Ivorian economy, which was on the downward trend as the result of the four-month old conflict.

The European Union pledged 400 million Euros within the next four years to help revamp the economy. The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, African Union Chairman, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and some ECOWAS leaders attended the peace talks. Vice-President Aliu Mahama, Ministers of State and the French Ambassador to Ghana were at the airport to meet him.