Peace process deadlocked
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
DAKAR-- "It's impossible to organise elections as scheduled," one African diplomat in war-divided Cote d'Ivoire sighed. "The reason no-one is saying it officially is because they don't want to annoy the mediators."
Ivorians are supposed to go to the polls on 30 October to restore peace to a country that was once an oasis of prosperity and stability in West Africa but for the last three years has been spilt into a government-run south and a rebel-held north.
The African Union picked South African president Thabo Mbeki to oversee Cote d'Ivoire's transition to peace but he is repeatedly running up against obstacles, and dealing with each one is running down precious days on the elections timetable.
The latest dispute is over a series of laws passed by Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo in mid-July on nationality, identity and the electoral process.
The South African mediation last week gave the reforms the green light, saying they conformed to the peace process, but the rebels have protested and are refusing to move into cantonment sites ahead of an eventual disarmament.