The UN Security Council decided on Tuesday to keep UN and French peacekeepers in Cote d'Ivoire through Jan. 31, 2009 to help stage free and fair elections set for late November.
In a unanimously adopted resolution, the council emphasized the importance of the international community's continuing support in helping the West African country strengthen its electoral systems and processes.
The council decided to renew the mandates of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and of the French forces which support it," in particular to support the organization in Cote d'Ivoire of free, open, fair and transparent elections."
The council expressed its intention to review by Jan. 31 the mandates of UNOCI and its French support unit, as well as the mission's troop levels, in light of the progress achieved in implementing key steps of the peace and electoral processes.
It requested UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to provide a report in that regard three weeks before that date, including benchmarks for a possible phased draw down of UNOCI troop levels, "taking into consideration the electoral process and the situation on the ground, and in particular the security conditions."
The council urged the Ivorian political parties to comply fully with the Code of Good Conduct for the elections, which they signed under the auspices of the secretary-general, and the Ivorian authorities in particular to allow equitable access to the public media.
Source:Xinhua
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