Ivory Coast political party chiefs and rebel leaders meet today at talks near Paris aimed at ending a four-month-old conflict in the world's top cocoa producer which threatens to destabilise much of West Africa.
President Laurent Gbagbo, whom rebels want removed from power, said he was confident the talks would allow his government to regain authority over rebel-held areas.
The delegates will gather behind closed doors under the stewardship of former colonial ruler France, which has deployed 2,500 troops to try to stop the bloodshed in a country where it has major business interests and thousands of citizens.
Rebel leaders and government remained at odds ahead of the talks, though two western rebel factions signed a truce with the government on Monday as France kept up pressure for a deal.
"If a solution isn't found, this could result in a catastrophe," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin told a news conference in Paris. Earlier, he said the whole of West Africa was suffering from the crisis.
The war in what was once seen as a haven of stability in a troubled region began with a failed coup on September 19th. It has left hundreds dead, displaced up to one million people and split the country of 16 million along ethnic lines.
The talks will take place at France's National Rugby Centre, a secluded, wooded estate in Linas-Marcoussis, some 30 km south of the capital.