France wants to 'assassinate' Gbagbo: loyalist spokesman

ABIDJAN: France has "no other goal" but to "assassinate" Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo, one of his spokesman said Sunday.

For the former colonial power in the west African country, "there is no other goal (but) to assassinate the head of state, all the rest is just pretext," he told AFP.

"France was looking for pretexts to attack again, and has found them," he said, referring to Saturday's attack on the base of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognised president.

Gbagbo's have forces denied involvement in the attack.