Bro. Habib, Your concern about further lives being lost in the current crisis is not only real but justified given the outcome of today's meeting between Gbagbo and Ouattara at the private residence of the former. Despite the two embrassing before and after their brief meeting and Ouattara's reference to "President Gbagbo" (inplying recognision), the deep seated rivalry between the two still remains. The fact that Ouattara's main priority, even after meeting Gbagbo, is "to mourn the dead and to bury his dead supporters" and not to join the new government says it all. In my view, to avert further bloodshed, the fundamental issue of legitimacy must be addressed and one of the options available to Ivorian politicians is your suggestion i.e. for a re-run of the presidential elections in line with the US, OAU, ECOWAS and countries such as South Africa. To gloss over the difficult and sensitive issue of legitimacy, in my view, would prove disastrous in the long run. Little wonder Koffi Annan, after his Rwanda experience, is taking a clear and unequivocal stance on this one. Sidi Sanneh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------