ECOWAS urged to deploy force to protect Ouatara

Koforidua, Dec. 10, GNA - The African Freedom Foundation (AFF), a pressure group, on Friday called on ECOWAS to deploy a peacekeeping force to protect Mr Alasane Ouatara in Ivory Coast.

The AFF in a statement issued in Koforidua and signed by Nana Addo-Aikins, Interim National Executive Member, said the deployment was necessary towards finding solution to the problem in Ivory Coast. It said the ECOWAS force should be supported by the African Union (AU) and the United Nations to assist Mr Ouatara, who is the recognized winner of the Presidential election, until the situation became normal. The statement said ECOWAS' recognition of Mr Ouatara as the legitimate President without a power sharing option, must be one out of several steps that would need to be taken towards finding a lasting solution. AFF, it said, advised that talks on finding solutions to the political stalemate should not take too long in order not to allow opposing political forces to consolidate their positions for a possible political confrontation, which might be difficult to contain. 10 Dec. 10