Disarmament talks on track at last

Rebel and army chiefs completed a first full round of working talks on Tuesday in Cote d'Ivoire's rebel stronghold of Bouake in what was described by the government as a sign of progress in efforts to reach an agreement over disarmament.

"The talks were fruitful and focused on the concerns of both forces and the establishment of a structural framework," said a joint statement issued by Ivorian chief of staff Philippe Mangou and rebel military leader Soumaila Bakayoko.

“The atmosphere was so joyful that it was difficult to imagine that there have been disagreements between the two forces," Ivorian Defence Minister Rene Aphing said after the talks. “We have clearly turned the page."

The five key political players of the conflict in Cote d'Ivoire agreed in March that regular talks between loyalist and rebel forces should resume as part of a new peace deal designed to reunite the war-divided nation and prepare for presidential elections planned for October.

Analysts say that trust between both forces must be restored before the long-awaited disarmament process can begin. There has been no fighting since Ivorian planes broke the cease-fire agreement and bombed rebel targets in 2004, but neither has there been reconciliation.

42,000 ex combatants of the New Forces movement, 5000 members of the regular army, and 12,000 militia members loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo in the west of the country must all be disarmed.

The newly appointed chairman of the national disarmament commission, Gaston Ouassenan Kone, a retired general and ally of Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny, demanded the necessary cooperation to accomplish this mission.

“It is a difficult mission to disarm, demobilise, reinsert and rehabilitate the groups that have suffered and continue to suffer over three years of crisis. We will do everything to win the confidence of the Prime Minister that it is possible,” said Kone.

Talks will continue next week when the parties will discuss a timetable for disarmament. Other key issues may also be tabled including a shared military command and the creation of a new national army.