20110130
xinhua

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Cote d’Ivoire’s incumbent Laurent Gbagbo must cede power, Gervais Jean Marie Kakou, minister of foreign affairs in the government of the internationally-backed president-elect Alassane Ouattara, told Xinhua on Saturday before informally attending the 16th African Union (AU) summit to be held on Jan. 30-31.

"Mr. Laurent Gbagbo has been forcing us to lose our time during past 10 years. We will wait for another little while, but he will leave," said Kakou in an interview with Xinhua.

"Military option remains an option, especially when Mr. Laurent Gbagbo does not want to leave. We must drive him out, by this way or by another way. It might be negotiation, or ongoing mediations, or whatever other way," said Kakou, who is not officially invited to the summit.

"The presidential election we just have has been a full success. The only one who has been disputing is Mr. Gbagbo," he said.

A representative of Gbagbo is also present at the summit.

Cote d'Ivoire has been trapped in a political impasse since the landmark presidential run-off held on Nov. 28. Both Gbagbo and opposition leader Ouattara claimed victory and swore themselves in as president of the country, and formed their respective government.

Gbagbo was backed by the country's Constitutional Council, while Ouattara has the support of the electoral commission and the international community including the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United States and France.

ECOWAS has been urging Gbagbo to step down and vowed the use of "legitimate force" if he fails to heed its immutable demand.

Gbagbo has been defying international requests, and has ordered the UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire, known as UNOCI, to leave the country.

The West African country is facing a real risk of civil war.