South Africa's president has informed Ivory Coast's civil war foes of his ruling on who should be eligible to run in October presidential polls but officials on Wednesday declined to give details of his decision. The question of who can run for president in the divided former French colony goes to the heart of the conflict. South African President Thabo Mbeki was mandated to rule on the issue at peace talks between the factions in Pretoria last week. But a spokesman for Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo made clear the West African considered the ruling a proposal. "He didn't decide. He made proposals for President Gbagbo," spokesman Desire Tagro told Reuters, adding that he would read Mbeki's letter on Ivorian state television later on Wednesday. The ruling on eligibility is the missing piece from a deal agreed between Gbagbo and rebels in Pretoria. "(Mbeki) has made that determination and has communicated it to the various parties in the Ivory Coast and is awaiting their response," South African government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe told reporters in Cape Town. "I'm not quite certain as to when they will respond and their response might not be in the form of a letter but actions on their part," he said. Ivory Coast's war was sparked when rebels tried to overthrow Gbagbo in September 2002 and seized the north of the world's top cocoa grower. Some 10,000 French and U.N. troops patrol a no-weapons buffer zone between the two sides. Mbeki was mandated by the African Union to mediate in the war after a string of peace deals foundered on mutual distrust. The Pretoria deal to end fighting, disarm militias and hold elections was hailed by officials as a breakthrough.
