Ivory Coast talks: 'Last-chance' mission begins

West African heads of state have begun their mission in Ivory Coast aimed at bringing an end to the crisis following the disputed presidential election.

Leaders from Sierra Leone, Benin and Cape Verde are holding talks with Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent who insists he won the poll.
They are expected to give Mr Gbagbo a final chance to step down peacefully.
He is refusing to make way for Alassane Ouattara, who has been internationally recognised as the president-elect.
The three presidents - Benin's Boni Yayi, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde - arrived in the main city, Abidjan during the morning.
They held talks with the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Young Jin Choi, before heading for the presidential residence in Abidjan for a meeting with Mr Gbagbo.
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.

Analysis

Kwasi Anning Peacekeeping analyst, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre

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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. After the meeting with Mr Gbagbo, they are expected to make their way to Mr Ouattara who is in an Abidjan resort with his shadow government, protected by about 800 UN peacekeepers.

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.
On Monday, the African Union (AU) appointed Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga as its special envoy to Ivory Coast to push for a peaceful outcome to the crisis.
Mr Odinga has said he planned to talk to Mr Gbagbo, but would wait for the outcome of the Ecowas talks before deciding his next move.
Strike bites Continue reading the main story

Buses have now stopped working in Abidjan, leaving thousands stranded at home, after Mr Ouattara called for a general strike on Monday as part of his protest, our correspondent says.

The transport unions are close to Mr Ouattara and have frequently shown the ability to paralyse the city; any drivers trying to break the strike, particularly in opposition districts, face the threat of violence, he adds. The atmosphere in Abidjan is tense, he says; while less violent than a few days ago, everyone fears 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.
On Monday, supporters of Mr Ouattara briefly took over the Ivory Coast embassy in Paris.