The African Union (AU) is considering the deployment of peacekeepers to Cote d'Ivoire after days of violence in the world's largest cocoa producer, South African President Thabo Mbeki's spokesman said Wednesday.

Bheki Khumalo, who travelled with Mbeki on an African Union-mandated peace mission to the former French colony, said Mbeki spoke to the Ivorian Government, the Nigerian Government, French President Jacques Chirac and senior AU officials.

"I'm aware that the AU has made provisions for about 4,000 peacekeeping troops in Cote d'Ivoire," Khumalo said on South African public broadcaster SAFM radio.

"If they are not on the ground they certainly could be on the ground quite shortly."

Mbeki invited warring parties in the conflict in Cote d'Ivoire to peace talks yesterday, the meeting may take place as soon as this week, Mbeki's spokesman said. "The president invited representatives of both sides to the talks as part of his mediation on behalf of the AU," Khumalo said.

France, UN launch evacuations

France and the United Nations launched evacuation yesterday of thousands of French and other expatriates trapped in their homes, UN offices and a French military base after days of rampages targeting French citizens and troops in the West African nation.

As state television aired fiery calls to mobilize against the French, French troops combed Cote d'Ivoire's largest city to rescue foreigners for evacuation, sending boats to pluck some French off the banks of Abidjan's lagoons.

"The government is pushing to kill white people - not just the French, all white people," said Marie Noel Mion, rescued by French troops in a wooden boat at daybreak yesterday, while waiting with hundreds of others at Abidjan's airport for the first flight out.

France alone is expected to evacuate between 4,000 to 8,000 of its citizens from across Cote d'Ivoire, a French official said - potentially the majority of the 14,000 French still in the former French colony.

"It is on a voluntary basis. We are not going to evacuate all French citizens, because they are too many," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"We are evaluating the number of those wanting to leave and we have between 4,000 to 8,000 French who have expressed a wish to leave, whether temporarily or for good," the official said.

Sanctions deadline embraced

UN Security Council members reached a broad agreement on Tuesday over a resolution that would give Cote d'Ivoire's government and rebels until December 1 to implement a peace deal or face UN sanctions, diplomats said.

France, compromised on its initial draft resolution - which would have immediately imposed an arms embargo and other measures - agreed to allow a second council vote before sanctions could kick in after China, Pakistan and Russia objected to immediate sanctions, the diplomats said.

"My objective is to have this wrapped up tomorrow," French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere told reporters following three hours of closed-door negotiations over the French text.

In addition to the arms embargo, it calls for a ban on travel and a freeze on "funds and other financial assets" to be imposed against individuals in Cote d'Ivoire who would be chosen at a later date by a Security Council committee.

The measure would also denounce hate messages on national radio and television broadcasts, which UN officials said were growing more abusive in recent days. Council members embraced the compromise after South African President Thabo Mbeki launched an AU initiative to help end the violence in Cote d'Ivoire.

(China Daily November 11, 2004)