Ivorians confirm mercenary presence

Both sides are buying weapons while talking

Government officials in Ivory Coast are confirming that dozens of foreign mercenaries are in the country and working for them.

The officials say that the hired help, from South Africa, France and Eastern Europe, are training the country's forces rather than fighting alongside them.

The first rumours of their arrival came on the first day of peace talks two weeks ago, but the confirmation comes as Togo's President Gnassingbe Eyadema tries to save the talks.

The mercenaries we have employed are instructors who have to teach the Ivorian soldiers how to use new arms

Government source

On Sunday, the rebels pulled out of the talks after the brother of one of their leaders was killed in the government-held commercial capital, Abidjan.

Mr Eyadema has met the Ivory Coast rebel delegation, and is due to have talks with government officials later on Tuesday.

The Ivory Coast Patriotic Movement (MPCI) has been in control of most of northern Ivory Coast since an army rebellion on 19 September.

Hundreds of people have died in fighting and tens of thousands more have fled their homes.

The conflict has exacerbated tensions between the Muslim north and the Christian south, where President Laurent Gbagbo enjoys more support.

'Security issues'

Fifty mercenaries are thought to have been brought in so far, to train Ivorian forces to use equipment including helicopter gunships recently acquired by the government.

A French journalist in Abidjan says many single white men going about in small groups and speaking French and languages resembling Russian and Afrikaans have been staying at the city's two big hotels.

A source close to President Gbagbo told the French news agency AFP: "We do not see them going into combat alongside our troops. They are meant to help organise the military and to take care of certain security issues."

'Pretext'

The rebels insist that Mr Gbagbo must step down and fresh elections be held, while the government wants the rebels to lay down their weapons.

Last Friday, Benoit Dacoury-Tabley's bullet-riddled body was found, two days after his brother Louis had announced that he had left Mr Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front party (FPI) to join the rebels.

Gbagbo refuses to stand down

Louis Dacoury-Tabley was among the MPCI team which met Mr Eyadema in Lome on Tuesday morning.

The government has denied having a hand in his brother's death, saying the rebels used it as a "pretext" to pull out of the talks.

Mr Gbabgo's team has said that he will not be stepping down, while the rebels insist they will not disarm until their demands are met.

A West African peacekeeping force is due to replace French troops which have deployed in a buffer zone between the opposing sides.

The BBC correspondent in Ivory Coast says that, even while attending the talks in Lome, both sides have been preparing for a possible outbreak of fighting.