UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Monday for an urgent Security Council meeting on Ivory Coast following reports of illegal arms deliveries to one of the warring factions there.
"The secretary-general hopes that the Security Council will consider convening urgently a meeting to discuss this issue," a spokesman for Ban said.
The appeal follows reports that three attack helicopters and related materiel from Belarus were being delivered to Yamoussoukro to forces led by outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo.
The first delivery arrived reportedly on a flight which landed late Sunday, and additional flights are scheduled for Monday, the spokesman said.
"This is a serious violation of the embargo against Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) which has been in place since 2004," the spokesman said.
"The secretary-general demands full compliance with the arms embargo and warns both the supplier of this military equipment and Mr. Gbagbo that appropriate action will be taken in response to the violation."
Ivory Coast has been gripped by increasing unrest since a presidential poll on November 28, which much of the international community acknowledges was won by opposition leader Alassane Ouattara.
Cocoa futures on ICE rose to a 32-year high on Monday as fears of civil war in top producer Ivory Coast increased after fighting intensified over the weekend, dealers said.
Raw sugar futures advanced as the market eyed Monday's expiry of the March raws contract on ICE <SBH1 while arabica coffee were also higher.
Broadcasts of Ivory Coast's state television went down across the main city on Sunday after a transmitter was damaged in fighting between forces loyal to incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo and rival groups.
May cocoa on ICE rose $31 or 0.85 percent to a peak of $3,670 tonne by 1220 GMT.
The European Union has imposed sanctions on Gbagbo and people and institutions helping him stay in power after a November election he is widely recognised to have lost to presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara.
The institutions include the cocoa authorities and ports.
A halt to cocoa-buying in Ivory Coast because of sanctions and liquidity problems has spurred smuggling of cocoa through neighbours like Ghana, farmers say, as the alternative is to let it rot on farms.
"At the moment there's at least some movement of cocoa across borders," a London-based broker said, adding this could cease if civil war broke out.
Exporters estimated only around 1,000 tonnes of beans were delivered to the West African state's two ports between Feb. 22 and Feb. 27, down from 9,003 tonnes in the same week a year ago.
Dealers said the market remained well underpinned at current levels.
"There's no natural selling in the market right now, the market goes up very easily," the broker said.
May cocoa on Liffe rose 4 pounds or 0.2 percent to 2,372 pounds a tonne.
MARCH RAWS EXPIRY
Sugar prices were higher with the market's focus on Monday's expiry of the March contract on ICE with deliveries expected to total about one million tonnes.
March raws was up 0.38 cent or 1.2 percent at 31.90 cents a lb with its premium to May roughly stable in the run-up to expiry at about 2.80 to 2.85 cents.
The market's improved performance during the last couple of sessions was seen boosting the technical outlook.
"New York sugar futures rose above their steep downtrend Friday, opening upside potential," Brenda Sullivan, technical analyst at Sucden said.
Sugar prices have fallen by around 12 percent since hitting a 30-year high of 36.08 cents a lb on February 2.
May whites on Liffe rose $7.30 or 1.0 percent to $733.70 a tonne.
Arabica coffee futures were also higher with the market beginning to resume its uptrend after a setback during the second half of last week. May arabica coffee on ICE rose 4.10 cents or 1.5 percent to $2.7190 per lb.
The contract peaked at $2.7840 per lb last Tuesday, the highest level for the benchmark second month since 1977, but corrected lower on Wednesday and Thursday before stabilising on Friday.
"This may suggest short-term consolidation and even slight gains, but the daily indicators still show the risk for another test lower," Sucden's Brenda Sullivan said.
May robusta coffee futures on Liffe rose $46 or 2.0 percent to $2,385 a tonne.
Coffee continues to hover near the contract highs and is worthy of put accumulation at these levels. Cocoa is at a fresh contract high as well and is rallying on fears of a sustained export ban in the Ivory Coast. This is a truly historic opportunity to get short cocoa as a top is anticipated and the downside fallout could be monumental. Cotton is making another attempt, its 3rd since the initial breakout rally, of reversing a sharp selloff to hit fresh highs. I do not believe cotton has it in it to make another major move higher, but then again I did not suspect that had it in it to rally last month either. Sustained buying is occurring because of a real shortage of supply, and if real delivery is needed then epic short covering and price surges have little choice but to happen and run until the buying demand is exhausted. When will the buying demand be exhausted? I believe there is a real likelihood that the high is already in and this current attempt to rally will be met with strong selling well below 208 on the futures. OJ continues to make new highs but is fast approaching critical resistance at 190. If broken the market has little technically stopping a run to the 2007 highs of 210.
* Coffee market edges higher underpinned by tight supplies
* Sugar market eyes Monday's expiry of March raws on ICE
Cocoa futures on ICE rose to close at a 32-year high Friday as rebels seized a town in top grower Ivory Coast, while raw sugar rebounded ahead of the March contract's expiry Monday. Coffee prices rose after a two-day setback.
The United Nations Secretary General said Ivory Coast was closer to the brink of a new civil war after rebels controlling the north seized a town in government territory and were heading south.
"Of course the instability in the Ivory Coast is the main reason for the push up," said Derrick Lewis, a senior trader with brokerage Cleartrade Commodities in Chicago.
May cocoa on ICE rose $14 to finish at $3,639 per tonne, the highest settlement since January 1979, after touching a session high at $3,650. This widened the premium of May to $66 compared with July from $65 on Thursday.
The contract has risen about $600, or 28 percent, since early January as the crisis in Ivory Coast has deepened. Volume, however, was thin at about 8,500 lots, down about 60 percent from the 30-day average.
"Until the situation is settled, there's concern about supply," Lewis said, referring to the reason for the premium.
The sterling-based Liffe contract was also higher with May < closing up 18 pounds at 2,368 pounds a tonne, after hitting the highest for the second position since July 2010 at 2,377 pounds.
"Most of the people that we speak to are now leaving the country because it's too dangerous," a European trader said, adding the country's cocoa industry was at a standstill.
POSITI DIFFICULT ON
"The (cocoa) trade is in a difficult position, on the one side (presidential claimant Alassane) Ouattara wants them to continue to buy from the farmers because they need the money, on the other Gbagbo says keep exporting because he needs the money," plus there's EU sanctions in place, the trader said.
Raw sugar futures were higher with the market's focus on Monday's expiry of the March contract.
The nearby premium closed at 2.78 cents a lb, widening from 2.39 cents at the close on Thursday, with the decision by Russia earlier this week to cut import tariffs seen increasing the appetite to take delivery.
May raw sugar futures jumped 0.91 cent or 3 percent to finish at 28.74 cents per lb while May white sugar on Liffe rose $21.40 to finish at $726.40 per tonne.
Arabica coffee futures on ICE were higher as the market began to creep back up towards Tuesday's peaks which were the highest levels seen in 34 years at $2.7840 per lb, basis May.
The market suffered its weakest two-day performance in a month on Wednesday and Thursday with the setback seen largely as a technical correction after its prolonged advance and as investors got out of their long positions.
May arabica coffee rose 3.15 cents to finish at $2.6780 per lb, in an inside day. A shortage of high quality arabica coffee from Colombia, suffering from several consecutive smaller crops, has fueled the coffee rally and a drawdown of stocks.
"The funds are very heavily long so a bit of a wash out could be on the cards but I am not sure we will see a calamitous collapse as stocks remain so low," said a London-based broker.
May robusta coffee gained $10 to finish at $2,339 a tonne as dealers noted a pick-up in exports from top robusta producer Vietnam.
Vietnam's February coffee exports rose around 16.9 percent from the same month in 2010 to 90,000 tonnes, or 1.5 million bags, in line with market expectations, and could offer some relief to tight markets.
* Liffe May cocoa ends up 18 pounds at 2,368 pounds a tonne after earlier hitting 2,377 pounds, the highest level for the benchmark second month since July 2010. Market supported by fighting in top grower Ivory Coast which has raised the prospect of a return to open war.
* Liffe May robusta coffee <LRCc2> ends up $10 at $2,339 a tonne. Market supported by renewed strength in arabica market although a rise in exports from Vietnam helped to cap gains.
* Liffe May white sugar <LSUc1> rises $21.40 to close at $726.40 a tonne. Market remains extremely volatile in the run-up to Monday's expiry of the March raw sugar contract on ICE.
