I. Coast president approves ranks of rebel officer

Bakayoko was one of two FN generals to be promoted to brigadier-general in the decrees signed by Gbagbo, Amani said.

Ivory Coast's President Laurent Gbagbo has signed decrees assigning military ranks to rebels who fought against the government in 2002, officials said.

- This concerns about 400 people, from the lowliest grade of corporal to the grade of general - Defence Minister Michel Amani N'Guessan told AFP Tuesday, adding that the move was - a big step towards peace. -

An accord on the ranks of the former fighters, harmonising them with those of the loyalist army, was reached at the end of 2008 so that the former rebels can join a new national army in the west African country.

Amani said Gbagbo signed the decrees in a region which has been under rebel control since 2002, when the president paid "a state visit" to the Worodougou district, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) northwest of Abidjan.

The FN has controlled the northern half of Ivory Coast since a foiled coup bid against Gbagbo in September 2002. A UN-backed peace process has been under way since 2003, with provisions for reunification and elections.

This accord was then firmed up by the two sides at a seminar held in August in Grand Bassam, near Abidjan, and Amani told AFP that Gbagbo was enacting the outcome of those talks in assigning military ranks.

Gbagbo was accompanied by Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who is leader of the FN, the defence minister, the military's chief of general staff, General Philippe Mangou, and by General Soumaila Bakayoko, the chief of staff of the former rebels.

Bakayoko was one of two FN generals to be promoted to brigadier-general in the decrees signed by Gbagbo, Amani said. The decrees meet complaints that no action had been taken since the August seminar.