Brussels, 08/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - European Development Commissioner Louis Michel welcomed on behalf of the Commission progress made by the main actors in the Ivorian crisis at the Tshanwe (Pretoria) meeting that confirmed the peace plan put forward by South African President Thabo Mbeki, the mediator designated by the African Union. The Commissioner, who recently travelled to Côte d'Ivoire to contribute to reopening political dialogue between the two countries, reiterated his full support for the South African President's efforts and instantly called for the same spirit of openness, compromise and inclusion to reign over the concrete application of the agreement in all its dimensions. In a statement, Mr Michel said: “I renew my call on all parties rapidly to implement the commitments made. It is essential that an atmosphere of trust be re-established and that the period of fear end, giving rise to a period of hope, which is indispensable for the re-establishment of the country's unity”.
CFSP High Representative Javier Solana also pledged his full support for President Mbeki's mediation efforts and welcomed the Ivorian parties' decision to ask the UN to be involved in organising free, democratic and inclusive elections.
Among the steps forward is a commitment to an “immediate and definitive cessation of hostilities in Côte d'Ivoire”, to be achieved through the immediate disarmament and disbanding of militias throughout the country, adoption by parliament of certain legal texts as specified in the mediator's roadmap, new measures to guarantee the balanced operation of the Independent Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Council. The issue of eligibility for the Presidency of the Republic, which is key to the resolution of the Ivorian crisis, is to be decided later. Mr Mbeki will make his statement after consultations with President of the African Union Olusegun Obasanjo and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.