Abidjan, Ivory Coast (CNN) -- Talks between Ivory Coast's political rivals and African mediators failed to break a political impasse although the Kenyan leader acting as a special envoy said Tuesday that he remains optimistic that bloodshed can still be avoided.
Alassane Ouattara, the president-elect, will not meet face-to-face with Laurent Gbagbo, the defiant self-declared president, until Gbagbo acknowledges electoral defeat.
"Ouattara has always been clear on this issue since the beginning. He can only meet with Gbagbo once he recognizes him as president," said Patrick Achi, Ouattara's spokesman.
However, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the envoy for the African Union, urged patience in resolving the crisis through negotiations.
"Military action will cost lives and we want to avoid that," Odinga told CNN.
The Kenyan leader, who visited Abidjan on Monday along with a delegation representing West African states, said Gbagbo has agreed to meet with Ouattara.
But Ouattara will not do so until he is recognized as the legitimate president and after Gbagbo lifts a seige laid on the waterfront Golf Hotel, where Ouattara has been holed up since the November 28 runoff election, Odinga said.
Gbagbo has ordered his military to back off by mid-day Tuesday, said Odinga, but has made no indications that he does not still lay claim to the presidency.
"The (African Union's) position is that Ouattara is the president," Odinga said. "The option that Laurent Gbagbo has is to negotiate a decent exit with guarantees."
African leaders have urged Ouattara to ensure that Gbagbo and his supporters will not be persecuted if and when he agrees to step down.
So far, however, no one has been able to persuade Gbagbo to relinquish power.
Odinga and three representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met twice Monday with Gbagbo.
"We had a very fruitful meeting between all parties and in a good spirit," said Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma told reporters after the second round of talks at Gbagbo's residence. "But the discussions are still underway."
The African leaders also met with Ouattara, the man recognized by the international community as the new president of Ivory Coast. They had indicated they were planning to fly to Abuja, Nigeria, to consult with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on the matter.
Gbagbo insists Ivory Coast's people "have spoken clearly" in the runoff, which international observers say Gbagbo lost to Ouattara.
Gbagbo has refused to leave office and had himself sworn in for another term. The standoff has brought the country to the brink of renewed civil war.
"We are engaged in this to ensure there is a peaceful solution -- that we do not have to use military force to sort out matters," Odinga said.
ECOWAS, however, has threatened to use "legitimate force" to remove Gbagbo and called a two-day meeting of its defense chiefs January 17 to plan future steps if he fails to step down by then.
Gbagbo has said he wants an an international committee to recount the vote.
Odinga said Tuesday that a recount was no longer possible because the election documents have been in the custody of Gbagbo's supporters and there will always be claims that they were tampered with.
CNN's Zain Verjee and Salma Abdelaziz and journalist Eric Agnero contributed to this report.
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Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/04/ivory.coast.crisis/index.html?eref=edition
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