REUTERS - The West African leaders have intensified pressure on Saturday Laurent Gbagbo in overturning the Governor of the Central Bank of African States (BCEAO), a relative who continued to provide the outgoing president Ivorian access Accounts of Côte d'Ivoire.
Meeting in Bamako, the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic and Monetary Union of West African "noted the resignation of Governor Philip Henry Dacoury-Tabley.
As part of international sanctions aimed at forcing the incumbent president from power, the BCEAO was announced last month it would no longer accept the signature of Laurent Gbagbo, but he still had access to accounts.
"The conference is concerned at the impact of not implementing the decision on the stability of economic, financial and Monetary Union", said the leaders in Bamako.
Gbagbo was declared winner of presidential elections on 28 November by a Constitutional Council in his hand. Alassane Ouattara was judged winner of the poll by the independent electoral commission, a victory recognized by the United Nations.
The current vice-governor of the bank will take the office of governor until the appointment of a replacement.
Alassane Ouattara was invited to propose a successor to Dacoury-Tabley, what will be done "quickly", according to his Prime Department Guillaume Soro.
The French ambassador accredited more
"We are satisfied. It's what we wanted," said Patrick Achi, spokesperson of Alassane Ouattara. "This will reduce the amount of money leaving the account. We're headed to the audit but it will happen in stages," he added.
Patrick Achi has also requested the replacement of the Director of the BCEAO in Côte d'Ivoire, which he said is also a supporter of Gbagbo.
The camp of the incumbent president has denounced the measure, which puts him in danger by the Ivorian banking system.
This decision was "hasty and inappropriate," said Ahoua Don Mello, spokesman for the Gbagbo government."Côte d'Ivoire think it is dangerous to mix politics with the economy and monetary policy," he said.
The camp of the outgoing president appears to now control the revenues from exports of oil and cocoa, despite attempts by the international community to cut off.
A spokesman for the Gbagbo government announced on television alongside the Ambassador of France in Ivory Coast, Jean-Marc Simon, was not accredited.
The Quai d'Orsay, recalling in a statement that France fully acknowledges Alassane Ouattara as Ivorian President has found the decision "null and void and without any legal effect."
