EU agrees to impose Ivory Coast sanctions

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Ivory Coast, putting pressure on incumbent Laurent Gbagbo to relinquish power after a disputed presidential election.

The EU move will target Gbagbo and his supporters with asset freezes and a visa ban, after he claimed victory in the November 28 vote over challenger Alassane Ouattara, despite Ouattara being declared the winner by the Ivory Coast election commission.

The United States has also threatened to take measures against Gbagbo, with President Barack Obama writing to say he would support efforts to isolate him if he refused to quit.

"The Council ... has decided to begin, without delay, preparatory work (on) the adoption of targeted measures against those who are obstructing the process of peace and national reconciliation in particular who are jeopardising the proper outcome of the electoral process," the EU ministers said in a statement.

Diplomats from the 27-member bloc will draw up a list of officials to be targeted by the restrictions.

Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, has been in turmoil since last month's poll, which was meant to reunify the country after a 2002-03 civil war. World leaders and regional bodies have recognized Ouattara as president, and the African Union has suspended Ivory Coast until Gbagbo quits.

His refusal to step down threatens to compromise a $3 billion (1 billion pounds) aid package. The International Monetary Fund has said it will not cooperate in the aid program if the Ivory Coast government is not recognized by the United Nations.

However, Gbagbo retains control of the armed forces and has rejected criticism as foreign meddling.

He has been in power since winning a disputed election in 2000, when thousands of his supporters took to the streets to help oust military coup leader General Robert Guei, who was accused of trying to rig the vote.

Elections due in 2005 were repeatedly put off as Ivory Coast, once a haven of stability and the region's brightest economic prospect, was caught in a cycle of attempted peace deals and renewed crisis.