Ivory Coast's Ouattara seeks to assert position

In a sign of how difficult restoring security will be, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday it found 100 more corpses in western Ivory Coast in the past 24 hours, adding to the 800 dead reported by aid groups last week.

Ouattara said his forces had blockaded Gbagbo in the presidential residence in Abidjan.

In a speech late on Thursday, Ouattara said he would seek to restore security and basic public services in the country following fierce fighting between his forces and Gbagbo's defenders, and would also try to revive the country's cocoa industry, the world's largest.

Ouattara won the November presidential poll by eight percentage points, according to U.N. certified results, but Gbagbo rejected the outcome citing fraud and accused the United Nations of meddling in Ivorian affairs.

A commander for the French military force in Ivory Coast, Licorne (Unicorn), said on Friday its troops would carry out mixed patrols with police and gendarmes loyal to Ouattara to restore security and rebuild infrastructure.

Ouattara added he hoped to revive the cocoa sector, the country's main economic engine, which has been paralyzed by EU shipping restrictions since January.

In Brussels, the European Commission said it hoped to be able to begin easing sanctions soon. A European diplomatic source said an agreement was possible as early as Tuesday.

Diplomatic and military efforts to oust Gbagbo this week were met with fierce resistance and Ouattara said his rival's residence had been sealed off to protect the area.

Crimes to Be Investigated

Ouattara said he had asked his generals to take all necessary steps to maintain order and security of goods, people and their movements and also secure the delivery of food to markets and medicines in hospitals and health centers.

He said steps would also be taken to shed light on all crimes committed during the conflict and would collaborate with international organizations to investigate human rights abuses and punish those found guilty.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Tuesday he was in talks with West African states about referring alleged atrocities in the Ivory Coast to the court.

France has taken a leading role in talks to persuade Gbagbo to hand over to Ouattara and end the standoff, and its Defense Minister said he believed Gbagbo had about 1,000 men, 200 of whom were defending his residence.

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