UN asks Ouattara to avoid 'bloodshed'

UN leader Ban Ki-moon told Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara on Monday the country must avert new "bloodshed" and ensure there is no retaliation against supporters of fallen strongman Laurent Gbagbo, a UN spokesman said.

The UN secretary general spoke to Ouattara in the hours after the internationally-recognized president's forces captured Gbagbo in his Abidjan bunker, which followed a new military operation by UN and French troops.

Ban said the Ouattara government was responsible for Gbagbo's safety and "underlined to President Ouattara the expectation that with Mr. Gbagbo now in the hands of the president's forces any further bloodshed will be avoided.

"He stressed in particular the need to ensure that there is no retaliation against Mr. Gbagbo's supporters," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

The UN chief welcomed Ouattara's call to set up a national truth and reconciliation commission to look into accusations of massacres and other crimes made against both sides in the Ivory Coast conflict, Nesirky added.

Ban reaffirmed that "those responsible for human rights abuses, regardless of their affiliation, must be held accountable."

Ivory Coast now has an "historic opportunity" and must work to foster national reconciliation, establish a national unity government, ensure accountability for serious human rights violations and re-establish state authority throughout the West African nation, which has been in turmoil for much of the past decade, Ban said.

The United Nations, which has more than 9,000 troops and police in Ivory Coast, will keep up its mission helping to re-establishing law and order and Ban offered help countering what he called a "critical" humanitarian emergency after the conflict.

Several hundred people have been killed in the unrest since a presidential election in November, which Gbagbo refused to recognize he had lost.

UN guards are now protecting Gbagbo even though he is in the custody of Ouattara forces.

Ban called on "all parties to work together to put an end to this tragic chapter, which could have been avoided had Mr. Gbagbo respected the will of the people at a far earlier stage," said his spokesman.

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