ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Pressure on the embattled president of the Ivory Coast increased Friday, with France and the United States threatening sanctions.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the country is at a "dangerous turn." Supporters ofAlassane Ouattara, accepted internationally as the winner of the presidential election, clashed Thursday with troops backing President Laurent Gbagbo, with at least 10 people killed, Amnesty International reported.
"The results of the election are known," Ban said. "There was a clear winner. There is no other option.
The efforts of Laurent Gbagbo and his supporters to retain power and flout the public will cannot be allowed to stand".
Phillip Crowley, a U.S. State Dept. spokesman, said at a briefing that "time is running out," The Wall Street Journal reported. He said sanctions would be targeted at Gbagbo, his family and his close associates.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking to reporters after an EU summit in Brussels, said Gbagbo could face international criminal charges if he does not stand aside, The Guardian reported. Sarkozy said France would implement sanctions.
"There is no other option for Mr. Gbagbo but to rapidly leave a position of power that he is usurping," Sarkozy said today, following an EU summit in Brussels," he said.
The U.N. Security Council has warned that all sides would be held accountable for any attacks on civilians, as the threat of renewed civil war loomed. UPI
