Minister back home after abortive ECOWAS mission

Ghana's foreign minister Hackman Owusu-Agyemang has said that the Ivorian government's failure to sign a cease-fire agreement with the rebel soldiers occupying half the country was a "major setback" to peaceful efforts being made to end the three-week conflict.

The minister, who returned home after a failed mediation mission by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said a cease-fire could have paved the way for peace talks between the two sides.

ECOWAS leaders, who met in an emergency session in Accra on 29 September following the escalation of hostilities in Cote d'Ivoire, formed a six-member mediation team with the ECOWAS Executive Secretary Ibrahim Ibn Chambas to negotiate a peaceful end to the conflict.

Although the rebels were prepared to sign the document, President Laurent Gbagbo refused to pen the deal, saying the rebels should first lay down their weapons. He has since ordered a massive attack on the rebel-held town of Bouake and fears are that the conflict will escalate to other cities.

Owusu-Agyemang described the situation as "very disappointing," saying the mediation team went to Cote d'Ivoire, with the understanding that a cease-fire agreement was in sight.

He said, however, that the team has not given up hope and suggested a way must be found to reach a cease-fire since the consequences of an escalation would be grave for the region which has seen two devastating wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone in the past decade.