Tweet
28 December 2010
Last updated at 13:47 ET
West African heads of state have met Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast to persuade him to cede power after the disputed presidential election.
Mr Gbagbo is refusing to make way for Alassane Ouattara, internationally recognised as the president-elect.
After the talks Benin's President, Boni Yayi, said "all went well".
He and the leaders of Sierra Leone and Cape Verde then met Mr Ouattara who is in a hotel with his shadow government protected by UN peacekeepers.
The three presidents - Boni Yayi of Benin, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde - arrived in the main city, Abidjan during the morning in what was seen as a final chance to urge Mr Gbagbo to step down peacefully.
The delegation says that if he does not relinquish power, he could be forced out by African military intervention.
"Outtara won and we insist that Outtara becomes the president of this country and that is the position taken by the West African leaders," Sierra Leone's Information Minister Ibrahim Ben Kargbo told the BBC.
Before heading for the presidential residence in Abidjan to meet Mr Gbagbo, the three leaders met the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Young Jin Choi,.
A Sierra Leone government spokesman told the BBC that the leaders from the Ecowas regional grouping would be offering Mr Gbagbo a way of leaving without being humiliated.
Continue reading the main story Analysis
Ivory Coast is different from Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is a functioning wealthy country with a strong army, so a force will meet some credible resistance.
Furthermore, it doesn't look as if Ecowas is capable of putting a credible force on the ground: Nigeria is heading towards elections and may not want to put in troops for that long a time; Ghana has elections in 2012 and Senegal has its own problems with dynastic succession. So the key countries that would have to contribute may not have the political stomach and the temerity.
I would have thought an emphasis on sanctions, bank accounts, no-fly zones, seizure of properties - total isolation on the continent - would have been a first step.
But it looks as if there has been a hastiness to demonstrate that "we can deal with Gbagbo" - and in doing so Ecowas, the African Union and the United Nations have actually closed too many doors that limit their options for engagement and manoeuvre.
While the talks continued throughout the afternoon, it emerged that a rally of Gbagbo's young supporters scheduled for Wednesday had been cancelled.
Youth Minister Charles Ble Goude said the demonstration had been postponed to give the diplomatic initiative a chance but he added that he did not wish to give armed opponents the chance of infiltrating the event and "launching their civil war".
Mr Ouattara's victory in the 28 November election was overturned by the Constitutional Council, a body headed by an ally of Mr Gbagbo, citing claims that results were rigged in the north.
Refugees escape
The number of people who have fled Ivory Coast for neighbouring Liberia is close to 20,000, according to the UN which says they left because of the threat of possible civil war.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says 15,120 people from villages in western Ivory Coast are known to have crossed the border and another 4,000 arrivals have been reported.
Most of the refugees are said to be women and children and almost two thirds under the age of 18.
The UN has said at least 173 people have died in violence, and scores of others have been tortured.
The atmosphere in Abidjan is tense, says the BBC's John James, with everyone fearing a military intervention in the coming weeks.
Ivorians had hoped these elections would close the chapter on the country's most difficult 10 years, but instead they have opened up a new period of instability, he explains.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Pressure is mounting on Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo
Online Business Consulting | Internet Business Consulting
Mr Gbagbo is refusing to make way for Alassane Ouattara, internationally recognised as the president-elect.
After the talks Benin's President, Boni Yayi, said "all went well".
He and the leaders of Sierra Leone and Cape Verde then met Mr Ouattara who is in a hotel with his shadow government protected by UN peacekeepers.
The three presidents - Boni Yayi of Benin, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde - arrived in the main city, Abidjan during the morning in what was seen as a final chance to urge Mr Gbagbo to step down peacefully.
The delegation says that if he does not relinquish power, he could be forced out by African military intervention.
"Outtara won and we insist that Outtara becomes the president of this country and that is the position taken by the West African leaders," Sierra Leone's Information Minister Ibrahim Ben Kargbo told the BBC.
Before heading for the presidential residence in Abidjan to meet Mr Gbagbo, the three leaders met the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Young Jin Choi,.
A Sierra Leone government spokesman told the BBC that the leaders from the Ecowas regional grouping would be offering Mr Gbagbo a way of leaving without being humiliated.
Continue reading the main story Analysis
Ivory Coast is different from Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is a functioning wealthy country with a strong army, so a force will meet some credible resistance.
Furthermore, it doesn't look as if Ecowas is capable of putting a credible force on the ground: Nigeria is heading towards elections and may not want to put in troops for that long a time; Ghana has elections in 2012 and Senegal has its own problems with dynastic succession. So the key countries that would have to contribute may not have the political stomach and the temerity.
I would have thought an emphasis on sanctions, bank accounts, no-fly zones, seizure of properties - total isolation on the continent - would have been a first step.
But it looks as if there has been a hastiness to demonstrate that "we can deal with Gbagbo" - and in doing so Ecowas, the African Union and the United Nations have actually closed too many doors that limit their options for engagement and manoeuvre.
While the talks continued throughout the afternoon, it emerged that a rally of Gbagbo's young supporters scheduled for Wednesday had been cancelled.
Youth Minister Charles Ble Goude said the demonstration had been postponed to give the diplomatic initiative a chance but he added that he did not wish to give armed opponents the chance of infiltrating the event and "launching their civil war".
Mr Ouattara's victory in the 28 November election was overturned by the Constitutional Council, a body headed by an ally of Mr Gbagbo, citing claims that results were rigged in the north.
Refugees escape
The number of people who have fled Ivory Coast for neighbouring Liberia is close to 20,000, according to the UN which says they left because of the threat of possible civil war.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says 15,120 people from villages in western Ivory Coast are known to have crossed the border and another 4,000 arrivals have been reported.
Most of the refugees are said to be women and children and almost two thirds under the age of 18.
The UN has said at least 173 people have died in violence, and scores of others have been tortured.
The atmosphere in Abidjan is tense, says the BBC's John James, with everyone fearing a military intervention in the coming weeks.
Ivorians had hoped these elections would close the chapter on the country's most difficult 10 years, but instead they have opened up a new period of instability, he explains.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.Pressure is mounting on Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo
Online Business Consulting | Internet Business Consulting