By Justyna Pawlak
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers are expected to agree on sanctions against Ivory Coast on Monday, putting pressure on incumbent Laurent Gbagbo to relinquish power after a disputed presidential election.
Any EU move would likely target Gbagbo and his supporters, who have claimed victory in the November 28 election 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.
"There is a strong possibility of sanctions," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb told reporters before a regular meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. "We are of course worried about the situation in Ivory Coast."
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 recognised Ouattara as president, and the African Union has suspended Ivory Coast until Gbagbo quits.
Gbagbo's refusal to step down threatens to compromise a $3 billion aid package. The International Monetary Fund has said it will not cooperate in the aid programme if the Ivory Coast government is not recognised by the United Nations.
However, Gbagbo retains control of the armed forces and has rejected criticism as foreign meddling. EU sanctions, which are expected to be agreed on Monday, would include visa bans and asset freezes, EU diplomats said.
"The ministers will agree on targeted measures against people supporting Gbagbo," one diplomat from the 27-member bloc said.
Gbagbo 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.
