Ivory Coast's Gbagbo visits rebel HQ after war

BOUAKE, Ivory Coast, July 30 (Reuters) President Laurent Gbagbo visited Ivory Coast's rebel stronghold today for the first time since a civil war and burned weapons at a peace party with former rebel leader Guillaume Soro.

''Today it's peace. It's peace. The war is over,'' Gbagbo told tens of thousands of people packed into and around a soccer stadium to watch the ''Flame of Peace'' ceremony, attended by five African presidents as well as ministers and diplomats.

''As of today, we are preparing for elections. We must move fast, fast, fast to elections,'' he said on his first visit since the rebels seized the north after failing to oust him in a coup attempt nearly five years ago.

Gbagbo and Soro, who was made prime minister in April under the terms of the latest peace deal, used an Olympic-style torch to set fire to hundreds of weapons stacked in a pile in the middle of the pitch, to applause from the grandstands.

The ceremony is meant as the symbolic start of a disarmament process, the details of which still have to be agreed on by the rebels.

''Peace is here, peace is in Bouake,'' Soro said, before telling Gbagbo: ''Your worthy presence in this way materialises the reunification of Ivory Coast.'' Gbagbo has declared today a public holiday. Tens of thousands of people massed inside the stadium and along Bouake's main streets, many in white T-shirts bearing slogans such as ''Flame of Peace, Bouake 2007, I was there''.

Among them were hard-line Gbagbo supporters known as ''Young Patriots'' who travelled north from the main city Abidjan.

Security was tight with large numbers of government soldiers, bright orange bands on their arms, mixing with rebel New Forces soldiers in the main roads in and out of town.

Gbagbo travelled by road to the celebrations, which were delayed by weeks due to an assassination attempt against Soro.

The prime minister escaped unhurt when unknown attackers fired rockets at his plane shortly after he arrived in Bouake on June 29, but the blast hit four of his aides.

Some analysts and diplomats have said rebel factions who feel they have lost income or influence due to the latest peace deal may have been responsible, although neither Soro nor Gbagbo have said who they suspect and investigations are continuing.

Among the heads of state in attendance was Blaise Compaore, president of northern neighbour Burkina Faso, who some Gbagbo supporters accused of complicity in the rebellion. He later emerged as the prime mediator and helped clinch the March peace deal.

South Africa's Thabo Mbeki also attended as well other West African heads of state from Togo, Benin, Niger and Mali.

REUTERS JT HT2225