Côte d'Ivoire
Ivorian PM close to giving up

afrol News, 3 March - Prime Minister Seydou Diarra of Côte d'Ivoire still is not able to present his new government, following inconclusive talks with rebel leaders in Bouaké. The PM indicates he might be dismissing within short, if there are no results.

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo on the other hand still refuses to let the rebels occupy the ministries of Interior and Defence, which rebel leaders claim were promised them during the January peace talks in France.

PM Diarra has concluded talks with the 'Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire' (MPCI) rebel movement in their headquarters in the central city of Bouaké. Although few details of what was said have been made public, Mr Diarra was not given a green light by the MPCI rebels.

The PM told the press in Bouaké he was "tired" and "running out of strength" and hinted he was now making his final attempt to form a unity government for Côte d'Ivoire. He indicated he may resign if this latest attempt to form a government fails. Mr Diarra however said he personally believed the new government would be set up by the beginning of next week.

The creation of a national unity government in Côte d'Ivoire is a key issue in the peace treaty signed between the government and rebels in the French village of Marcoussis. The delays in naming such a government have raised concerns the Marcoussis peace may be failing altogether.

While there was agreement the new government would be headed by Seydou Diarra, who is from the rebel-held Muslim north, there are however grave differences between President Gbagbo's followers and rebel leaders on what was said in Marcoussis about the composition of Mr Diarra's government.

Rebel leaders immediately after the peace deal stated the agreement foresaw the creation of a "government of national reconciliation" of nine ministries, in which four of them would be held by the MPCI rebel group, whereas Mr Gbagbo's party, 'Popular Front of Côte d'Ivoire', was to hold two ministries. The MPCI rebel group, which controls the Muslim North of the country, was to take over the ministries of Interior and Defence.

As President Gbagbo returned to Côte d'Ivoire, he was however met with violent demonstrations against the Marcoussis peace. Also the Ivorian armed forces made clear they would never accept a Defence Ministry led by an MPCI rebel. Mr Gbagbo subsequently denied the Marcoussis peace had made any mention of the new government's composition.

The President is said to have demanded 11 ministries for his party, 8 for a former ruling party (PDCI) dominated by southerners, 7 for the main northerners' party (RDR) and 7 for the MPCI rebels. Four ministries, including Defence and Interior, were to be given to "neutral" technocrats. This is nothing close to the government composition foreseen by the rebels in January. 

Concerning today's talks in Bouaké, the rebels keep claiming President Gbagbo remains responsible for the continued deadlock. The short statements by Mr Diarra and the MPCI leaders seemed to confirm the disagreement was mainly over the alleged promises given by Mr Gbagbo in Marcoussis. 

Meanwhile, there have been reports of renewed fighting in western Côte d'Ivoire, in an area close to the Liberian border held by another rebel group, MPIGO. The hostilities are reported to be the gravest breaches of the ceasefire so far, and raise serious concerns about the future of the Marcoussis peace.

While rebels are accusing government troops of using helicopters this weekend to attack their positions at the Liberian border, army spokesman Jules Yao Yao denied these allegations. He told the press it had indeed been the rebels attacking government troops in the border town Toulepleu.