UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon said in a statement released on Thursday that he remains "very concerned" about the deteriorating situation in Cote d' Ivoire.

A woman crosses the street in front of a burnt-out United Nations peacekeeper car on December 30, 2010 in the Yopougon neighbourhood of Abidjan, home to supporters of Laurent Gbagbo. [Xinhua/AFP Photo]

"He is deeply alarmed to learn of the call by Mr. Ble Goude on the so-called Young Patriots to attack the Golf Hotel in Abidjan beginning on 1 January," according to the statement issued by Ban' s press office.

World leaders are pressuring incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo to step down and hand power to Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the Nov. 28 presidential runoff, who is currently taking refuge in the Golf Hotel.

Gbagbo has so far refused to concede power, threatening to reignite the country's 2002 - 2003 civil war. Charles Ble Goude is Gbagbo's minister for youth.

Currently the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has a significant number of military and police personnel deployed to provide security for the Government of Cote d'Ivoire and key political stakeholders.

Ban also stressed that "UNOCI is authorized to use all necessary means to protect its personnel, as well as the Government officials and other civilians at these premises of the hotel."

The UN chief said that "any attack against peacekeepers constitutes a crime under international law, for which the perpetrators and those who instigate them will be held accountable."

"Any attack on the Golf Hotel could provoke widespread violence that could reignite civil war," Ban said.

He called on all those who may be contemplating participation in the attack to refrain from such dangerous irresponsible action and urged all the peace-loving citizens of Cote d'Ivoire to contribute instead to the restoration of lasting stability and democracy in their country.