French President Jacques Chirac has announced “a summit of reconciliation for the Côte d'Ivoire” in Paris later this month, with the participation of African leaders and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The announcement comes after France finds itself drawn more and more into the civil war raging in the Côte d'Ivoire. France has sent more than 2,000 soldiers to the Côte d'Ivoire since a civil war began September 19. Its military presence has been raised from 600 to about 3,000 soldiers.