Decision on the Situation in Cote D'Ivoire

DECISION ON THE SITUATION IN COTE D’IVOIRE

Doc. EX/CL/42 (III)h

The Executive Council:

1. WELCOMES the progress made in the implementation of the Linas-Marcousis Agreement since the convening on 7 March 2003 of the Accra Round Table on Cote d’Ivoire under the auspices of President John Agyekum Kufuor, President of the Republic of Ghana and Current Chairperson of ECOWAS;

2. EXPRESSES its support to the National Reconciliation Government for the efforts it is deploying to consolidate the peace process and WELCOMES the progress made in the normalization of relations between Cote d’Ivoire and the neighbouring countries;

3. ALSO WELCOMES the signing on 3 May 2003 of the comprehensive and definitive ceasefire agreement between the National Armed Forces of Cote d’Ivoire and the New Forces and URGES all the parties to honour the commitments made and create an environment conducive to implementation of this agreement;

4. TAKES NOTE of the implementation, by the National Reconciliation Government of the demobilization, disarmament and cantonment operation with the identification of the sites to regroup elements of the warring parties (the Defence and Security Forces on the one hand, and the New Forces, on the other);

5. ALSO TAKES NOTE of the decision of the Ivorian Government to conclude the disarmament not later than 15 September 2003, and CALLS UPON all the concerned parties to cooperate fully in ensuring successful conclusion of the process;

6. WELCOMES the adoption by the Ivorian Government of the amnesty law and its endorsement in due course by the Ivorian Parliament;

7. EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the 4 July 2003 joint statement of the Armed Forces of Cote d’Ivoire and the New Forces proclaiming the end of hostilities, and affirming in particular the subordination of the Defence and Security Forces of Cote d’Ivoire and the New Forces to the President of the Republic and the National Reconciliation Government;

8. ENCOURAGES the joint deployment of troops of the Armed Forces of Cote d’Ivoire, troops of the New Forces and of ECOWAS and those of Licorn Operation aimed at ensuring security in the West of the country and NOTES WITH SATISFACTION the encouraging results obtained in this regard;

9. CALLS ON all the Ivorian political leaders to participate actively in the processes, exercise restraint and work towards peace and consolidating national reconciliation and URGES them to take all the necessary measures with a view to the immediate dismantling of the militias and the other groups that are endangering the reconciliation process;

10. CALLS UPON all the Ivorian political leaders to get actively involved in the national reconciliation process, exercise restraint and work towards restoration of normalcy;

11. WELCOMES the opening of an African Union Liaison Office in Abidjan and the official establishment of the United Nations Mission in Cote d’Ivoire;

12. REQUESTS Member States of the African Union, the United Nations and the international community at large to provide ECOWAS with financial and logistic assistance to facilitate the full deployment of its peace-keeping force in Cote d’Ivoire;

13. WELCOMES the AU’s token financial contributions towards the amelioration of the situation of refugees and displaced persons in the sub-region; and ONCE AGAIN APPEALS to the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to the populations affected by the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire;

14. MAKES AN URGENT APPEAL to the international community particularly the development partners, both bilateral and multilateral, to mobilize the requisite resources for the reconstruction of Cote d’Ivoire.