Nairobi: RAILA WINS GHANA'S BACKING ON IVORY COAST

                                                  Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga

Prime Minister Raila Odinga made a significant breakthrough in rallying Africa to take a single position on Ivory Coast when Ghana threw its weight behind the efforts by the Africa Union and ECOWAS to resolve the election dispute, including a possible use of force against Mr Laurent Gbabgo.
President John Atta Mills told AU mediator, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, that Ghana would support the position taken by ECOWAS on the situation in Ivory Coast. He said his government would agree to use of force only as a last resort.
President Mills made the remarks at a meeting with Mr Odinga in Accra earlier today.
Mr Odinga flew to Accra early today as he embarked on a shuttle diplomacy that will see him also visit Mali and Burkina Faso today.
The PM left Accra at about 3.30 PM this afternoon for Bamako, Mali, where he is to hold more talks with the country’s President Amadou Toumani Touré over Ivory Coast. He will later fly to Burkina Faso.
On Thursday, Mr Odinga will fly to Southern Africa, starting with a meeting with President José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola before flying to South Africa for a meeting with President Jacob Zuma.
Mr Odinga said his aim is to brief the heads of state on the situation in Ivory Coast and why they need to support the position taken by ECOWAS and the AU.
Ghana had been reported to be opposed to use of force in the Ivory Coast. It had also been reported that the country was not keen to take sides in the standoff in Abidjan.
But at the meeting today, President Mills told Mr Odinga that he would support settlement of the dispute in a peaceful way, with force being the means of last resort.
Mills however said he would not be able to contribute any more troops for Ivory Coast mission should need arise to use force.
Ghana already has troops in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sudan, DR Congo and Lebanon and feels over stretched.
Mr Odinga said use of force remains on the cards in Ivory Coast but as a tool of last resort.
　


 TheAfricanVoice  Team

Nairobi