Moscow worried by tension in Cote d'Ivoire

Russia is worried about the new spiral of tension in Cote d'Ivoire, announced Alexander Yakovenko, the official spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry.

In his words, Moscow keeps a watchful eye on Africa's attempts to reduce the tension.

"From this point of view, we appreciate the results of the extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States, or the ECOWAS, which took place in Dakar, Senegal, during which it was decided to deploy peacekeeping forces of member states of this organization in Cote d'Ivoire until December 31, 2002," said the spokesman, who hopes negotiations in the ECOWAS framework will stave off a civil war in Cote d'Ivoire.

Russia sees no other alternative except all-round political settlement of the crisis, went on Yakovenko. "Russia supports the idea of peaceful settlement and intends to go on contributing to the effort to normalize the situation in Cote d'Ivoire, through the United Nations and otherwise," he said.