• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Security Council poised to send UN force to Cote d'Ivoire

PLA Daily 2004-02-05

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The United Nations Security Council indicated on Wednesday that it is poised to approve the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Cote d'Ivoire to support its bumpy peace process.

In a resolution adopted unanimously, the 15-council extended the mandate of peacekeeping troops from France and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) until Feb. 27.

It requested UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to prepare "the possible deployment of a peacekeeping operation within five weeks after such decision by the council."

Annan, in a report to the council early last month, recommended deploying a 6240-strong UN peacekeeping force in Cote d'Ivoire since the cash-strapped ECOWAS has said repeatedly it could not maintain the operation.

Diplomats here said the United States disagreed with the proposed strength of the UN force for fear of increasing UN peacekeeping expenditure, of which it is a major contributor.

Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya, who holds the council presidency for February, told reporters that the US held a"slightly different" position on Annan's recommendations and the council needs some time to reach consensus.

The United Nations currently has a small group of military liaison officers in Cote d'Ivoire, which was plunged into a civil war in Sept. 2002. Under Annan's recommendations, the present mission would be expanded to a full-fledged peacekeeping force.

ECOWAS deployed nearly 1,500 peacekeepers in the West African nation in mid-2003, supported by some 4,000 French troops. France has indicated its troops would stay until after the holding of general elections in the country in 2005.

A transitional government was established in Cote d'Ivoire in April 2003 in line with a peace agreement signed in France by all warring parties in early 2003. The country's civil war was declared over in July 2003, but the rebels still hold the northernpart of the territory.