President J.E.A. Mills has pledged to help address the political crisis in neighbouring Cote D’Ivoire. The President was addressing a five-man Ivorian government delegation which visited him at the Castle on Monday to explain President Laurent Gbagbo’s side of the dispute. Mr. Gbagbo and opposition leader, Allasane Ouattara at the weekend sworn themselves in as president of the country after a disputed election run-off. President Mills says the dispute has to be resolved as soon as possible and pleaded calm on the part of the parties. According to him, the situation in the Ivory Coast is of major concern to all and hoped that peace will prevail. He was worried that if the situation degenerates any further, it will adversely affect development. President Mills will be attending an emergency Heads of State meeting in Abuja where Heads of States in the sub-region will try to resolve the crisis. Dr. Sery Bailly, former minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research and leader of the Ivorian delegation, after a closed-door meeting with the President, told Joy News’ Seth Kwame Boateng the meeting was to explain President Gbagbo’s side of the story to President Mills. He reiterated that peace in the Ivory Coast must be predicated on the respect for the rule of law. The Ivorian situation has engaged the attention of the world, with fears that it could return the country into war. Peace and Conflict Resolution analyst, Emmanuel Bombande of the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), believes tactical diplomacy could be the only way out of any possible outbreak of violence. Source: Joy News/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana