The U.N. Security
Council may consider a proposal to set up an escrow account for Cote d’
Ivoirecocoa revenues to keep them out of incumbent leader Laurent
Gbagbo’s hands, U.N. diplomats told Reuters.
Amid fears of a new
civil war in Ivory Coast, Gbagbo rejected an African Union proposal at
a summit on Thursday offering him a safe exit in return for ceding
power to rival Alassane Ouattara, winner of a disputed November
election according to U.N.-certified results.
“An escrow account for cocoa revenues is one of the options we’re
considering for Cote d’Ivoire,” a Western diplomat said on condition of
anonymity. “In theory it could work and it’s something the council can
take a look at.” Another council diplomat confirmed that the idea of a
U.N.-administered escrow account was under discussion for the world’s
biggest producer of cocoa, a commodity that is Gbagbo’s main source of
funds as his international isolation increases.
