United Nations Radio

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Sunday expressed concern over a presidential decree allowing the Cote d'Ivoire parliament to keep functioning beyond its mandate.

In a statement through a UN spokesman, the Secretary-General said the announcement does not appear to be in conformity with information received from Nigeria's President Obasanjo and from the UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire on the outcome of the Mr. Obasanjo's visit to the country. UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

"The Secretary-General underlines the need to avoid all unilateral action. And he called upon all parties to adhere to the provisions of the latest Security Council resolutions on Cote d'Ivoire."

Meanwhile on the ground in Cote d'Ivoire, the UN mission reports that security officers and representatives of humanitarian organizations have gone to the towns of Guiglo and Duekoue to assess damage caused during the recent attacks. The mission also reports it is concerned with the fate of some 7,000 displaced persons and a similar number of refugees in the West of the country from where UN and other agencies have be forced to withdraw.