DAKAR, Oct 31 (AFP) - Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade on Thursday refused to increase the number of soldiers Senegal will contribute to a regional peacekeeping force for strife-torn Ivory Coast, tacitly rejecting a request for Senegal to lead the force. "As of today, our participation is 250 men. We do not feel it necessary to have too many soldiers (in the force) and find that level sufficient," said Wade in an interview aired Thursday on Radio France International (RFI). Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the executive secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional grouping that was instrumental in brokering a ceasefire in Ivory Coast, said Monday after a meeting with Wade that he wanted Senegal to increase the number of troops it would supply for a west African peacekeeping force for Ivory Coast. Chambas also said he wanted Senegal to lead the force but Wade's refusal to increase Senegal's input amounted to a rejection of that request. "We have not determined the contingents from the different countries but once those have been announced it will be clear that Senegal has not provided the largest contingent," Wade, who is also the acting head of ECOWAS, told RFI. He said ECOWAS directives stipulated that "the country with the largest contingent" would command the peacekeeping force, dubbed ECOMOG. "That is not Senegal's case," Wade said. According to Wade, Togo will provide around 300 soldiers for the peacekeeping force, making it the largest contributor and, therefore, the leader of the force. Sources in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan, said last week that Benin and Togo would each provide 300 troops, Ghana around 260, Senegal 250 and Niger 200. Other west African countries that will provide manpower for the force are Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Gambia. ECOWAS decided after a meeting on Saturday to deploy 2,000 peacekeepers in Ivory Coast to monitor a ceasefire between government troops and rebels. The west African peacekeepers will take over from French troops who have been overseeing the truce, brokered by Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio on October 17. The French have reported no violations of the ceasefire. Ivorian rebels, who have gained controlled the northern half of the country since they started fighting on September 19, on Thursday began a second day of direct talks with representatives of the Ivorian government. The peace talks are taking place in the Togolese capital, Lome. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~