Ivory Coast rebel chief brands Gbagbo war criminal

Ivory Coast's rebel chief said today that he wanted Laurent Gbagbo, the president of the country, charged with war crimes as the West African country's leader called on thousands of foreigners who fled mob violence to return.

The world's top cocoa grower plunged into crisis two weeks ago when government forces bombed the rebel-held north, shattering an 18-month ceasefire and raising fears of a full-blown war that would suck in neighbouring states. "Using warplanes to bomb your own population seems to us not only like a violation of the ceasefire but also like a war crime," rebel leader Guillaume Soro said after meeting Albert Tevoedjre, the United Nations' top official in the country. "We are going to lodge a complaint," he said.

Gbagbo insists the bombing campaign was a legitimate measure to try to defeat the rebels and was focused on military targets. Tevoedjre said the priority now was to return to the peace process outlined in the French-brokered Marcoussis accords last year so that fair elections could be held. Former colonial power France wiped out most of the Ivorian air force after the bombing campaign killed nine French troops, prompting days of anti-French rioting and attacks that led almost 7 000 expatriates to flee the country.

"I understand that they are scared when a country has convulsions. Everyone seeks shelter and especially seeks shelter for their children," Gbagbo told French radio in comments aired today, calling on foreign business leaders to return. "I think it is in both their interest and in the interest of Ivory Coast. Because what do you want them to do in France after working their whole lives in Ivory Coast?" he said.

French diplomats say 60-70% of the French population fled, over a thousand of them plucked from their homes by French troops, although thousands more with dual nationality remain. Gbagbo and members of the country's power-sharing cabinet gathered at the presidential palace in Abidjan for their first meeting since the government offensive in the north. Rebel delegates were absent, as were some members of the opposition who stayed away for security reasons, officials said. - Reuters