/ 31 March 2000

RESTORE DEMOCRACY IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE, MBEKI

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki added his voice on Friday to calls for a restoration of democracy in Côte d’Ivoire. “We are very happy to follow the leadership of Ecowas (the Economic Community of West African States) on this isuse in support of the process towards the democratisation of Cote d’Ivoire,” Mbeki said in Pretoria after meeting with visiting Mali President Alpha Oumar Konare. Konare is chairman of Ecowas. The elected government of Ivory Coast was overthrown on December 24 in a coup that installed retired army chief General Robert Guei as head of state.