According to AU, Gbagbo is ready to negotiate a peaceful end to the Ivorian crisis

According to the mediators of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union (AU), Laurent Gbagbo pledged to lift the blockade imposed on land for several weeks by his forces headquarters his rival Alassane Ouattara, in Abidjan. The outgoing president of Cote d'Ivoire - which the Constitutional Council has approved the re-election, challenged by the international community - have also agreed to negotiate without preconditions a peaceful end to the political crisis in his country have continued mediators Following a recent visit of four envoys on Monday, Côte d'Ivoire, which resulted in failure.

The President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, who holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, said Tuesday that the Ivory Coast remains "an impasse". The AU chairman, the Malawian Bingu wa Mutharika, has for its part said "disappointed with the slow process of mediation in Cote d'Ivoire", on Tuesday said his spokesman, calling Laurent Gbagbo "to cede the power to [Alassane] Ouattara to (...) avoid bloodshed.

" The chairman of the AU had called on December 8 Mr Gbagbo to resign. Ecowas has in turn threatened to unseat the incumbent head of state by force if he did not in power.

• ECOWAS to force Gbagbo out if... (01/01/2011)
• US open to taking in Gbagbo: senior official (03/01/2011)
• U.N.: Over six days, 173 dead in Ivory Coast (23/12/2010)
• African leaders to offer amnesty to Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo (03/01/2011)
• Ivory Coast Gbagbo's last chance to avoid force: rival (01/01/2011)

Laurent Gbagbo (wikipedia)