Ivorian head outlines peace plan

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The Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo, has made a wide-ranging set of proposals which he believes will end the country's crisis.

Ivory Coast has been divided in two since rebels known as the New Forces seized the north four years ago.

The peace process is stalling and the international community in general believes the president is to blame.

Mr Gbagbo said that his five proposals would allow elections to be held by July next year.

Talks and jobs

The president wants direct discussions with his greatest rivals, the New Forces rebels who control the north of the country, in order to persuade them to disarm.

He called for the end of the confidence zone, a buffer zone between his troops and the New Forces.

The president said that as there was no chance of war breaking out again, there was no point separating the belligerent forces.

Mr Gbagbo's third proposal was the creation of a national civic service to give job skills to young people.

He said 40,000 young people could be enrolled in the scheme by the end of February.

The last two proposals concerned a new amnesty law and a programme to allow people displaced by the conflict to return home.

Mr Gbagbo also floated the idea of a new government, a key demand of his supporters, but said it was not the moment for such drastic action.

The president's speech was more measured than usual.

But Mr Gbagbo's opponents, starting with the New Forces, are unlikely to accept all his proposals since they simply do not trust his word.