¡¡ABIDJAN, Oct. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Cote d'Ivoire's President Laurent Gbagbo announced Tuesday that he will start to revise the constitution once the demobilization process begins.

    In a national TV speech Tuesday evening, President Gbagbo promised that he will submit an amendment to Article 35 of the constitution which is about the qualifications of presidential candidates.

    Gbagbo said the modification of the constitution needs a referendum as required by the constitution. When the country's territorial integrity is under threat, no modification should be made. He stressed that he will stick to the provisions of the constitution.

    The qualifications of presidential candidates as provided for in Article 35 of Cote d'Ivoire's constitution have always been a hot issue of dispute in the country and were one of the main causes of the civil war, which broke out two years ago.

    Article 35 stipulates that a presidential candidate must be born in Cote d'Ivoire of native Cote d'Ivoire parents. In 1995 andin 2000, former Prime Minister Alassane Dramane Oua-ttara was excluded twice from running for presidency because of his suspected nationality.

    President Gbagbo stressed that demobilization is the key phraseof the peace process. He said political reform is very important, but unlike demobilization, it does not constitute a visible barrier to peace and unification. The president called on the people to make efforts for the peace and he promised to carry out necessary reforms for the establishment of an army in the country.     

    Last week, Cote d'Ivoire army and rebel forces finally agreed to demobilize.

    Cote d'Ivoire, a former economic hub in the region, plunged into civil war in September 2002 after an attempted coup. The mainparties and rebels in the country reached a peace deal in France in March 2003, under which a coalition government was set up.

    However, the peace process has largely been deadlocked due to different interpretations of the deal by Gbagbo and the opposition Force Nouvelles. The country remains divided, with the government controlling the south and rebels, the north.

    Under the Accra deal signed in July 2004, the rebels would start to disarm by mid-October after President Gbagbo changed a constitutional clause prohibiting rebel leaders from running for presidency. Enditem