UNITED NATIONS, (AFP) - The UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose an immediate arms embargo on Ivory Coast for a 13-month period in hopes of reviving the struggling peace process in the west African nation.
The council last week put off voting on an earlier version of the resolution that would have given both the government and rebels in the former French colony 30 days to implement a stalled peace deal or face the arms embargo.
But the 15-nation council agreed to heed a weekend call by African leaders to put the embargo in place without delay in a bid to try to defuse the tension in the country, the world's top producer of cocoa.
The measure also would put a targeted travel ban and assets freeze on individuals in the divided nation on December 15 if key steps are not taken to implement the stalled peace accord in the former French colony.
France drafted the resolution earlier this month after nine French peacekeepers and a US aid worker were killed in an air strike by Ivorian government war planes in the north of the country.
French forces retaliated, wiping out the tiny nation's air force in a move that set off deadly anti-French and anti-foreign riots and vandalism that reportedly left dozens dead.
"The Security Council has never stopped saying that there is no military solution for the crisis in Ivory Coast. There is only a political solution," French ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said after the vote.
France had originally wanted to impose an immediate embargo but ran into opposition last week from China and other council members, who instead wanted to give the African Union time to mediate a solution.
But at a summit over the weekend, African leaders called for no delay in imposing the arms embargo on Ivory Coast, which has been divided since a coup attempt in September 2002 against President Laurent Gbagbo set off civil war.
Both the government and rebels have since lagged in implementing a subsequent peace accord.
De La Sabliere in particular cited two crucial stumbling blocks -- the failure of the rebels to disarm and the delay in amending a constitutional amendment that critics say is intended to block a Gbabgo rival from running in elections next year.
"We take note of it but we want to make it clear -- it is unfair and conducted in an unfair manner," Ivory Coast's UN ambassador, Philippe Djangone-Bi, told reporters.
He accused France of becoming "practically party to the conflict."
The government air raids earlier this month targeted positions held by rebels in the north.
Rebel leader Guillaume Soro has described the air raids as a "coup d'etat" and accused Gbagbo of pushing the country back towards war to serve his own political interests.
11/16/2004 - 01:22 GMT - AFP