“We will at the close of this ECOWAS Summit officially apply to
the United Nations and the African Union to assist us to apply minimum
force as the last resort in removing Laurent Gbagbo and swear-in
Alassane Quattara, the man who is the legitimate winner of their
November 2010 general elections.”
Mr Gbeho, who was speaking to Ghanaian Journalists on the
sidelines of the 39th Ordinary Session of Heads of States ECOWAS
Summit underway in Abuja, said after trying all tactful and diplomatic
means, they would have no other choice but to apply force to oust the
‘recalcitrant’ Ivorian leader.
He said the current killings of women and children and the
general human rights abuse in the Ivory Coast, was not a worry to only
Ivorians, but to all other countries in the sub-region, since the
spill over of such acts were creating security threat and general
atmosphere of fear and suspicion.
He announced that the leaders at the close of Thursday would
declare their stand on the Ivorian crisis and their sentiments on
current development in Libya and its repercussions on the West African
sub-region.
The ECOWAS President whose tenure of office would be ending at
the close of the Summit in Abuja, said plans were far advanced to
re-admit Niger and Guinea who were temporarily rebuked for straying
out of constitutional rule because of the positive and smooth
elections held in those countries.
On the admission of Chad into ECOWAS as an observer nation, the
President said ‘ECOWAS treaty does not make way for observer nations,
but we have however urged them to apply for accreditation to enable
them to attend our conferences.”
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