Brussels, 29/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Commission will propose to the Council that consultations with Côte d'Ivoire should be closed and that the gradual resumption of cooperation with this country should be approved. Announcing this news to the press on Tuesday, Commissioner Poul Nielson (Development/Humanitarian aid) specified that the good organisation of municipal elections in which the opposition took part was an encouraging sign that there is a will to reintroduce democracy into the country, and it has made this decision possible. Cooperation, which has gone from EUR 100 million annually before 1999 to 10 million annually at the present time, should therefore progressively intensify over coming months. But it will not gain its full momentum until progress is made in the national reconciliation process, dialogue with all parties, neutrality of justice, and the continuation of investigations into the violations of human rights perpetrated in 2000, added Poul Nielson. Begun in January this year, consultations with the Côte d'Ivoire had been carried out under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, because of the human rights violations noted during the period of democratic transition and the exclusion of a political party during presidential and legislative elections.