ABIDJAN, Oct 26 (AFP) - Ivory Coast's military spokesman,
Lieutenant Colonel Jules Yao Yao, made a lengthy plea on state
television Saturday for national unity and tolerance among the
country's many ethnic and religious communities.
   "National unity and harmony are the most precious thing that all
the ethnic and religious communities in Ivory Coast have to share,"
Yao Yao said in his daily briefing, normally devoted to the military
situation on the frontlines of the five-week rebellion.
   He said Ivory Coast's top officials take their legitimacy from
their ability to represent the nation's diverse values and to win
acceptance from all.
   "Wanting to impose on the nation a chief ... will only weaken
Ivory Coast and compromise our collective future," he said.
   "No community has the ability or the right to impose its values
on others. Ethnicity is not genetic, it's cultural. We need to
understand these simple things so that we can better tolerate each
other," he said.
   The conciliatory remarks came after a military uprising broke
out on September 19, splitting the nation in two and sparking ethnic
and religious hate attacks.
   West African nations are organizing peace talks between the
government and the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights
of northern Muslims. They also want Gbagbo to resign to clear the
way for new elections.

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