Ivory Coast leader vows to build up armed forces

Laurent Gbagbo, president of Ivory Coast

Laurent Gbagbo, president of the Ivory Coast, said in comments broadcast today that a UN arms embargo could help contain rebels fighting the government, but vowed to create a "real army" and rebuild the country's air force.

Gbagbo also urged foreign businessmen who have fled violence in the cocoa-producing country to return. In his first direct comments on the UN Security Council vote on Monday, Gbagbo said the embargo must apply equally to rebels holding the north of Ivory Coast.

"The embargo suits us if the embargo means that neither side must possess weapons. If the embargo means that our opponents will no longer have weapons, then we don't need new weapons, but in the medium-term, after all this, Ivory Coast must reconstitute all of its forces, create a real army and therefore restore an air force," Gbagbo told France Info radio in an interview conducted yesterday.

Rebel control
The rebels took control of the north of Ivory Coast after failing to oust Gbagbo in September 2002. Government forces started bombing the rebel-held areas two weeks ago, breaking an 18-month truce, and killed nine French soldiers. France retaliated by largely destroying Ivory Coast's small air force, sparking days of anti-French riots in Abidjan.

French soldiers took to the streets to stop the riots and more than 1 000 demonstrators were injured before the violence petered out. France says almost 7 000 foreigners fled the country.

"I understand that they are scared when a country has convulsions. Everyone seeks shelter and especially seeks shelter for their children. But for the others, the entrepreneurs, not only am I asking them to return but I think it is in both their interest and in that of Ivory Coast. Because what do you want them to do in France after working their whole lives in Ivory Coast?" he said. - Reuters