In Bourake , Côte D'Ivoire , French Foreign Minister Dominique De Villepin met with political leaders of the Patriotic Movement Of The Ivory Coast , who agreed to participate in negotiations to be held in Paris , France , the week of January 15 , 2003 . However, two independent rebel groups in the west of the country, assisted by fighters from Liberia , have seized villages and the Cocoa crops inside those villages, forcing residents to flee to the port of San Pédro with no possessions. One-fifth of the world's cocoa crop passes through San Pédro . A French unit is guarding the port.
have established a base of operations in Mosul , Iraq , 375 kilometers or 200 miles north of Baghdad, to speed the inspection process.
