The government of Cote d' Ivoire and rebel forces will start withdrawing heavy weaponry from the frontline beginning Thursday, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

The UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) welcomed the move as a strong signal that the sides are following earlier agreements seeking to end a three-year conflict, a UN spokesman told reporters in New York.

The withdrawal operation will continue until Sunday.

UNOCI has been seeking to ensure that both sides abide by a peace agreement signed in January 2003 in Linas-Marcoussis, France, a supplementary accord reached last July in Accra, Ghana, and further arrangements brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki on behalf of the African Union (AU).

Cote d'Ivoire, the world's leading cocoa producer, has been split between the north, held by the rebel forces, and the south, under the control of the government force, since a coup attempt against President Laurent Gbagbo failed in September 2002.

Source: Xinhua