U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN WILL GO TO IVORY COAST FOR A SUMMIT ON WEDNESDAY TO TRY TO ENSURE THE WAR-DIVIDED STATE MEETS AN OCTOBER DEADLINE FOR ELECTIONS, BUT HE CONCEDED POLLS MAY NEED TO BE DELAYED AGAIN, REUTERS REPORTED. IVORY COAST, SPLIT INTO A REBEL-HELD NORTH AND GOVERNMENT SOUTH SINCE A BRIEF 2002-03 CIVIL WAR, IS DUE TO HOLD ELECTIONS BY OCT. 31, BUT IS WAY BEHIND ON DISARMAMENT AND VOTER IDENTIFICATION PROGRAMMES THAT MUST BE COMPLETED FIRST. "CLEARLY IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO HOLD THESE ELECTIONS IN OCTOBER," ANNAN TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE ON SUNDAY DURING AN AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT IN GAMBIA. "BUT IF FOR TECHNICAL REASONS WE MUST MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT, AND I HOPE IT WOULD BE A VERY, VERY SHORT ADJUSTMENT, WE MUST DEFINITELY HAVE THE ELECTIONS THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE CAN'T CONTINUE WITH THE SITUATION AS IT IS," HE SAID. "IT IS VITAL THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE THE IVORIAN PARTIES TO MAINTAIN THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE ROAD MAP," HE SAID, REFERRING TO A U.N.-BACKED PLAN DRAWN UP LAST YEAR TO ACHIEVE DISARMAMENT, REUNIFICATION AND ELECTIONS BY OCTOBER 2006. ANNAN AGREED TO HOLD WEDNESDAY'S SUMMIT AT A MEETING WITH IVORY COAST'S PRESIDENT LAURENT GBAGBO AND OTHER REGIONAL LEADERS ON SATURDAY. THE LEADERS OF NIGERIA, GHANA, NIGER AND BURKINA FASO ALSO ATTENDED THAT MEETING, ALONG WITH AU COMMISSION CHAIRMAN ALPHA OUMAR KONARE, AND SOME OF THEM WOULD ALSO BE AT WEDNESDAY'S MEETING IN IVORY COAST'S MAIN CITY ABIDJAN, HE SAID. "THESE ELECTIONS ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR US ... BUT THEY DO NOT DEPEND ON ME ALONE," GBAGBO TOLD REPORTERS AS HE WALKED INTO THE GAMBIA SUMMIT VENUE ON SUNDAY.
