By David Lewis
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivorian presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara will lift a cocoa export ban once he controls local branches of West Africa's central bank, now in the hands of incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, his camp said Thursday.
Ouattara called this week for a one-month ban on exports of cocoa in a bid to squeeze Gbagbo from power after U.N.-certified results declared Ouattara the winner of a November 28 poll in the world's top cocoa grower.
The ban order, which has been followed by most exporters and follows EU measures restricting shipping at Ivorian ports, has pushed world cocoa prices to a one-year high..
Gbagbo, who says the election was rigged, has seized local operations of the West African central bank despite recognition by its Senegal-based headquarters of Ouattara as Ivory Coast's leader and authorised signatory on accounts.
"If ... the question of the BCEAO is resolved and its resources are therefore where they should be, in the hands of the legitimate government, this (ban) would be immediately lifted," said Patrick Achi, spokesman for a parallel government team designated by Ouattara.
Cocoa futures have risen sharply on the ban. Despite the fact that Ouattara's authority is limited to a U.N.-protected hotel, exporters appear to be heeding his call for now.
The BCEAO bank of the West African franc zone was until last week headed by an Ivorian governor seen as pro-Gbagbo. He resigned under pressure from regional leaders but only after Gbagbo managed to drawn some $300 million (£188.5 million), Achi said.
The bank has since ordered the closure of its offices in Ivory Coast, a move that delayed some pension payments earlier in the week. But Gbagbo requisitioned the buildings and staff, placing the premises under heavy armed guard.
The BCEAO condemned the move in a statement on its website and said "an appropriate response" would be taken shortly.
Achi warned that Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower and holder of a $2.3 billion Eurobond due 2032, was headed for economic seizure as the central bank would no longer be able to clear payments or provide liquidity.
"We are heading to the complete drying up of funds ... which will have incalculable consequences," he warned.
Gbagbo remains in power, with the backing of the military and most institutions, despite an array of world leaders and organizations calling for him to step down.
West African regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to oust Gbagbo militarily but any such option is seen a long way off. For now efforts are focussed on stemming assets needed to pay public sector salaries, put at some $120 million per month.
The African Union has recognized Ouattara as president but some cracks have emerged in the unity of the continental body, due to discuss the crisis at a summit in Ethiopia this weekend.
Some 260 people have been killed since the standoff, the United Nations estimates, raising worries of a new civil war in the world's top cocoa producer nation.
The squeeze on the banking system followed a string of measures including international asset freezes and bans on doing business with Gbagbo supporters and institutions.
The turmoil in the former "pearl of West Africa" led it to miss a coupon payment on its Eurobond at the end of December.
(Editing by Ralph Boulton)
