London hails Gbagbo's arrest

LONDON, April 11 (UPI) -- The Monday arrest of Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo could be an opportunity for the country to finally move toward peaceful reform, the British government said.

The French military supported fighters loyal to President Alassane Ouattara in the arrest of Gbagbo in a presidential compound Monday in Abidjan.

Ouattara had a resolution from the U.N. Security Council recognizing him as the winner of a November presidential race meant to unite a country divided by civil war in 2002. Gbagbo, however, refused to step aside despite growing political and military pressure.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague in a statement Monday said Gbagbo's arrest marked the dawn of a near era for the former French colony.

"Above all we all hope that this is now an opportunity for the people of Ivory Coast who have been through so much in recent months to find a democratic way forward, a more peaceful way forward, for reconciliation to take place in that country," he said.

The Texas-based global security consultancy Stratfor said Ouattara could decide to refer the former president to the international courts for crimes against humanity. More than 400 people were killed and thousands more displaced in what the International Crisis Group described last month as a civil war.

Rights groups accused both sides of committing atrocities.