UN okays reinforcement of mission in Ivory Coast

UNITED NATIONS – The Security Council on Monday gave the green light for transferring a 200-strong mechanised unit from the UN mission in Liberia to Ivory Coast until late March to beef up security for beleaguered UN personnel there.

The 15-member council unanimously passed a resolution authorising the immediate deployment of “a maximum of one infantry company from UNMIL (the UN mission in Liberia) to the ONUCI (the UN force in Ivory Coast)” until March 31 in order to provide extra security for UN personnel and property. A Western diplomat said the reinforcement for the UN mission in Ivory Coast, a former French colony, would involve 200 Nigerian soldiers, 14 armoured vehicles and 18 support vehicles from the 17 772-strong UNMIL.ONUCI currently has 7 000 troops, backed by 4 000 French troops.UN chief Kofi Annan had asked the council to quickly authorise the deployment of a 850-strong mechanised battalion and a police unit to deal with any renewed anti-UN violence in Ivory Coast, his spokesman said on Sunday.”Some member states have always problems with the expansion of the peacekeeping operation and you have to find the right balance in order to get a consensus,” Greece’s UN ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis told reporters.”It’s a beginning.We have been discussing the reinforcement of ONUCI for a few months now,” France’s UN ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere told reporters.”We have decided that we would come back to it in March.”The resolution said the redeployment was decided “without prejudice to any future (council) decision” concerning the renewal of the mandate and strength of UNMIL.That mandate expires on March 31.Annan’s spokesman said Sunday that the secretary general was “still deeply concerned” about the restive situation in Ivory Coast, “as threats continue to be issued against United Nations personnel and plans of violent demonstrations and attacks are being reported.”- Nampa-AFPA Western diplomat said the reinforcement for the UN mission in Ivory Coast, a former French colony, would involve 200 Nigerian soldiers, 14 armoured vehicles and 18 support vehicles from the 17 772-strong UNMIL.ONUCI currently has 7 000 troops, backed by 4 000 French troops.UN chief Kofi Annan had asked the council to quickly authorise the deployment of a 850-strong mechanised battalion and a police unit to deal with any renewed anti-UN violence in Ivory Coast, his spokesman said on Sunday.”Some member states have always problems with the expansion of the peacekeeping operation and you have to find the right balance in order to get a consensus,” Greece’s UN ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis told reporters.”It’s a beginning.We have been discussing the reinforcement of ONUCI for a few months now,” France’s UN ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere told reporters.”We have decided that we would come back to it in March.”The resolution said the redeployment was decided “without prejudice to any future (council) decision” concerning the renewal of the mandate and strength of UNMIL.That mandate expires on March 31.Annan’s spokesman said Sunday that the secretary general was “still deeply concerned” about the restive situation in Ivory Coast, “as threats continue to be issued against United Nations personnel and plans of violent demonstrations and attacks are being reported.”- Nampa-AFP