Post date: Dec 13, 2010 7:52:38 PM
EU foreign ministers impose sanctions targeting Ivory Coast incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, and say they don't expect the dismissal of Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to stop the next round of nuclear talks to take place in Istanbul.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (DECEMBER 13, 2010) REUTERS - European foreign ministers agreed on Monday (December 13) to impose sanctions on Ivory Coast, including a visa ban and assets freeze for incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and his supporters.
The European Union want to put pressure on Gbagbo to relinquish power after a disputed presidential election. Gbagbo claimed victory in the November 28 vote over challenger Alassane Ouattara, despite Ouattara being declared the winner by the Ivory Coast election commission.Speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, EU Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton, said the European Union was calling for an immediate, peaceful handover of power.
"We've also decided to adopt without delay, targeted restrictive measures against those who are obstructing peace and reconciliation and in particular the outcome of the electoral process. These measures will include a visa ban and assets freeze, targeting those leading figures who refuse to accept the democratically elected president,'' she said.
The United States has also threatened to take measures against Gbagbo, with President Barack Obama writing to say he would support efforts to isolate him if he refused to quit.
Ivory Coast has been in turmoil since last month's poll, which was meant to reunify the country after a 2002-03 civil war. World leaders and regional bodies have recognised Ouattara as president, and the African Union has suspended Ivory Coast's membership until Gbagbo quits.
Gbagbo has been in power since winning a disputed election in 2000 and repeatedly put off elections that should have taking place in 2005.
On the side of the meeting, EU foreign ministers said talks between Western powers and Iran over the latter's nuclear programme should not be affected by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's decision to sack his foreign minister on Monday.
Ashton said she expected the next round of talks, scheduled to take place in Istanbul in January next year, would still take place.
Finland's Foreign Minister, Alexander Stubb, agreed.
"I think the key right now is to keep the negotiations going and I think in that sense we are quite hopeful," he said.
Meanwhile Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Bildt, said attacks in a shopping area in central Stockholm on Saturday (December 11) would not lead to any change in Sweden's foreign policy.
But he said the incident highlighted the need for greater international cooperation.
''We have our foreign policy, our European vocation, what we do as part of supporting EU efforts in different parts of the world and other efforts. That is certainly not going to change. I think from my point of view, if I see on this international aspects, it has further illustrated the need for international cooperation and support when it comes to fighting tendencies of the sort that we saw,'' he said.
The attack, the first of its kind in Sweden, has heightened fears about attacks in Europe during the Christmas holidays.