THE Ivory Coast has confirmed that a presidential election to restore civilian rule will take place as planned on October 22, rejecting a call from mediating Organisation of African Unity presidents for a delay. The elections, called to restore civilian rule after the traditionally stable former French colony’s first coup in December 1999, have already been postponed once. Seven African presidents, including Thabo Mbeki, held a mini-summit in nearby Togo and travelled to Ivory Coast’s main city last week for talks with military ruler General Robert Guei and the political parties. Guei, who plans to contest the election himself, refused to attend the Togo summit, called by OAU chairman Gnassingbe Eyadema to try to defuse the political crisis which has split the world’s top cocoa producer along religious and ethnic lines. – Reuters