LOME, Togo (AP) -- Ivory Coast's rebels on Wednesday rejected the president's offer to hold a referendum on the constitution, saying it was a diversion and had no effect on peace talks aimed at ending a bloody two-month rebellion in one of West Africa's economic hubs. Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo said Tuesday he would hold a referendum next year on whether to amend the constitution. The president's move was seen as a sign of compromise: One of the rebels' key demands is a revision of the constitution which they say discriminates against some predominantly Muslim northern tribes. But the rebels also want Gbagbo to step down and hold new elections, and the president wants the rebels to disarm. "This declaration by Gbagbo was a diversion," rebel spokesman Sidiki Konate said in Togo's capital Lome, where peace talks have been limping along for three weeks. "We have a crisis on our hands. We cannot be making promises to be carried out next year." Ivory Coast has been crippled by the uprising, which exploded Sept 19. when rebels tried to oust Gbagbo. Since then, insurgents have seized the northern half of the country. Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes, including immigrants escaping a surge of anti-foreigner sentiment in the former French colony. West African neighbors fear a return to conflict could destabilize the entire region. Ivory Coast is the world's largest cocoa producer, and a traditional base for foreign businesses in West Africa. A cease-fire has held for a month, but both sides have been rearming. Pro-government youth groups have called for a military offensive against the rebels. French troops monitoring the cease-fire are to be replaced by a 1,260-strong West African force by the end of the month. On Tuesday, Ghana's defense minister said its contingent of 247 soldiers would leave for the Ivory Coast on Saturday. The rebels say they are fighting to protect the rights of northern Ivorians, who complain of discrimination by the Christian and animist southern tribes that traditionally have dominated the government. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~