Nearly 2 million people registers to vote in Cote d'Ivoire: UN mission
5/12/2008 16:31
Some 2 million people have registered to vote ahead of long-delayed
elections in Cote d'Ivoire, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cove
d'Ivoire (UNOCI) said yesterday.
The elections are considered a key element
in resolving a political crisis in 2002 which divided the West African country
into a rebel-held north and government-controlled south, the mission said in a
press release.
The UNOCI said it would continue its efforts to pave the way
for the polls, originally scheduled for Nov. 30 and delayed recently for the
third time.
Elections are one of the key benchmarks of last year's
Ouagadougou Agreement reached between the government and the rebels.
The UN
mission reaffirmed its support for the agreement, which "has registered
undeniable progress that has been recognized by the whole of the internationally
community," the press release said.
It also called on all sides in Cove
d'Ivoire to show restraint in order to consolidate gains that have been made so
far and continue the "peaceful" registration process launched in mid-September
which has proceeded without major incident.
Last month, the UN Security
Council called for wrapping up the identification and registration process
before the end of next January.
Xinhua
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