UNITED NATIONS, Aug 31 (Reuters) -
South Africa told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday its mediation
efforts had removed the obstacles to implementing an accord ending civil
war in Ivory Coast but government and rebel leaders had not carried out
their part of the deal.
South African Defense Minister Mosiuoa
Lekota nonetheless advised the council to move cautiously in deciding on
imposing sanctions such as a travel ban or asset freeze on leaders who
are found to be blocking peace.
With high levels of mistrust between the government and rebels and long-awaited elections due in October, council members should act on sanctions "in a manner that does not negatively affect the peace process," Lekota said.
Before deciding, key council members might want to visit the country to assess the impact that sanctions could have on the peace process, he said.
Lekota briefed the council behind closed doors on some 10 months of mediation on the crisis in the world's largest cocoa producer, carried out at the request of the African Union. A text of his remarks was obtained by Reuters.
Ivory Coast plunged into civil war in September 2002 when rebels seized the northern half of the country after a failed coup attempt. The country remains divided with U.N. and French peacekeepers monitoring a buffer zone between the two sides.
A series of fragile agreements aimed at ending the division have failed, with disarmament deadlines passing without any weapons handed over.
'THEY WILL CONTINUE'
South Africa had focused its efforts on improving security, helping the government function with its new rebel ministers, disarming militias, preparing for elections and extending government services to all parts of the country, Lekota said.
Obstacles to these goals had now been eliminated and it was up to Ivory Coast's leaders to carry forward, he said.
Lekota dismissed concerns South African President Thabo Mbeki would now end his country's mediation role even as he fed those concerns by using the past tense in describing it.
But Pierre Schori of Sweden, the U.N. special envoy for Ivory Coast, said South Africa had pledged to remain involved.
"It would have been a big setback, but they will continue," he told reporters.
In Ivory Coast, however, the New Forces rebel group rejected a further South African role and called on the head of the African Union, Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, to determine how the peace process should proceed.
"From today, the New Forces systematically reject the South African mediation in Ivory Coast," rebel spokesman Sidiki Konate said in a statement, repeating rebel charges that the mediators had favored President Laurent Gbagbo.
Lekota said that while the international community had in the past questioned whether Gbagbo truly wanted peace, "our own experience suggests that he has now adopted a posture that seeks to focus on finding solutions to the problems besetting his country."
He also urged Ivory Coast to strengthen the office of its prime minister, Seydou Diarra, because he bore the primary responsibility for implementing the agreements and thus "plays a critical role in the peace process."