Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
November 13, 2002
Posted to the web November 15, 2002
Ebow Godwin
Lome
- Rebel spokesman demands
GUILLAUME SORO, Secretary-General of the Patriotic Movement of La Cote
d'Ivoire has called upon President Laurent Gbagbo to publicly apologise for
the numerous cases of killings, assassinations and kidnappings which he
claimed have created a climate of terror in Abidjan and its environs.
Speaking to the BBC in Lome in a pre-departure interview before he led a
team of rebel negotiators for Bouake for consultations, Guillaume Soro said
in view of the unspeakable damage which the climate of persistant terror has
caused to the peace talks in Lome, President Gbagbo must give a public
understaking to initiate adequate security measures to stop the killings,
and executions by members of the security force."
The rebel spokesman assured that the MPCI was prepared to resume the
suspended peace talks immediately President Gbagbo shows a change in
attitude by helping to create a more conducive and serene atmosphere for the
success of the talks taking place in Lome.
Guillaume Soro said that the MPC was sure that President Gbagbo was not
sincere about the peace process.
Gbagbo is only buying time. He is keeping us at the negotiation table while
he is acquiring more arms, helicopter gunships and recruiting mercenaries to
escalate the war," Guillaume Soro said.
He revealed what he considered to be further evidence of the belligerent
attitude of Gbagbo.
The rebel spokesman alleged after killing Dr. Benoit Dacoury-Tabley last
Thursday in Abidjan, uniformed men have proceeded to attack the home of his
senior brother, Louis Dacoury-Tabley, the external co-ordinator of the rebel
MPCI.
While this was going on, uniformed men have also gone to identify and visit
the family home of Siriki Konatey, the coordinator for Western Europe at
Man, west of Abidjan," Guillaume Soro alleged. Mr. Konatey is currently
attending the peace talks in Lome.
He said that the rebel delegation cannot sit down in Lome and be talking
peace while the Gbagbo administration continues to carry out atrocities
against persons suspected of corroborating with the rebellion.
Last week, Guillaume Soro led the rebel delegation to express their sincere
apologies to President Gnassingbe Eyadema and the ECOWAS mediation team at
the Lome private residence of the Togolese head of state.
Government communiqué said the rebel delegation apologized for not informing
Persident Eyadema before taking the unilateral decision to suspend
participation at the talks on Saturday.
The rebel delegation assured that the suspension of talks was only momentary
and was not directed at President Eyadema or the ECOWAS mediation team, nor
mean to sabotage the talks.
It was rather aimed at drawing attention to the painful killing of Dr.
Benoit Dacoury-Tabley and other victims of Gbagbo's atrocities," the rebels
said.
MPCI Secretary-General Guillaume Soro who leads a six-member rebel
delegation for consultations in Bouake said that they were leaving behind
part of their delegation in Lome as an assurance that "we do not intend to
break-down the talks."
The remaining rebel delegation of four will be headed by Louis Dacoury
Tabley, external coordinator of the MPC and former number two man of
President Laurent Gbagbo, Siriki Konate.
Abdoulaye Fofana are among members of the rebel delegation staying behind in
Lome.
Guillaume Soro was accompanied by Colonel Michel Gueu, Colonel Sumaila
Bakayoko, Adjutants Tuo Fozie and Jean-Baptiste Fofana. When asked when they
are expected to be back in Lome, he replied: "That will depend largely on
the changing attitude of President Gbagbo who must show that he is seriously
in favour of peace by creating the requisite propitious atmosphere for the
talks."
Make allAfrica.com your home page
------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile President WADE has declared the Peace talks a failure and has
offered to mediate provided he is the sole mediator. No hanky-panky, the old
man seems to be saying. He has also agreed to increase Senegal's troop
contribution to the ECOMOG and to head the peace keeping forces after
refusing the role at the inception of the crisis. Whether Gbagbo will trust
Wade as well as he did Eyadema remains to be seen.
Sidi Sanneh
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