Military

DATE=1/24/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=IVORY COAST / REACTION (L)

NUMBER=2-298758

BYLINE=LUIS RAMIREZ

DATELINE=ABIDJAN

CONTENT=

INTRO: The agreement to end a four-month rebellion in Ivory Coast is drawing a mixed reaction in the West African country. The accord, reached after eight days of talks outside Paris, calls for President Laurent Gbagbo to share power in a coalition government, with a prime minister to be chosen by the groups involved in the war. V-O-A's Luis Ramirez reports from Abidjan.

TEXT: Most people interviewed on the streets of Abidjan expressed relief and optimism that there may be an end to the conflict. The insurrection has cost hundreds of lives and displaced thousands of people.

Many Ivorians, however, say they do not fully understand the terms of the agreement and are skeptical of the role that the former colonial power, France, played in getting all sides to agree on a power-sharing arrangement.

This man, who identified himself only as Joseph, said it appears to him that France pressured the government into accepting what he says are terms that are tantamount to changing the Ivory Coast constitution.

/// JOSEPH ACT IN FRENCH, FADES UNDER TRANSLATOR ACT///

The constitution says that it can be modified. But it cannot be modified except by a referendum. We voted for it. We are a sovereign people. If there is an amendment, it should be by referendum.

/// END ACT ///

/// OPT/// An Abidjan resident, who did not give his name, reacted angrily to the news of the accord, saying he does not understand how the Gbagbo government could accept changes to the constitution.

/// RESIDENT ACT IN FRENCH, FADES ///

The man said he does not believe it is a matter of changing the constitution. He said that if it is modified without a referendum, he believes that could bring all-out civil war in Ivory Coast. /// END OPT ///

Despite their objections, most people interviewed say they would throw their support behind any arrangement that would stop the fighting.

Many say they are tired of a conflict that has disrupted life in what was until recently considered a bastion of stability and prosperity in the troubled West African region.

It was not immediately possible to reach sources in rebel-controlled areas to gauge reaction there.

/// REST OPT ///

French peacekeepers in Ivory Coast reported no new combat in the west of the country on Friday. On Thursday, French and Ivorian military officers said heavy fighting had broken out at the town of Toulepleu, near the Liberian border.

Ivory Coast's defense minister on Thursday accused Liberia of sending its regular forces across the border to fight on the side of rebels. The defense chief, Bertin Kadet, called on France to send more troops to help loyalist forces. France has a long-standing agreement to defend Ivory Coast if it is attacked from the outside.

Liberia has denied any involvement in the Ivorian conflict and Western diplomats here said they could not confirm the presence of Liberian government troops in Ivory Coast. (Signed)

NEB/LR/AWP/KBK/FC