Envoys leave without Ivorian deal

Olusegun Obasanjo, President of regional power Nigeria, was among leaders who held talks with Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo in the country's main city Abidjan.

But they left the country after the talks without saying if there had been any agreement on moving ahead with the French deal.

Opponents of the deal on Saturday staged the largest protest since the conflict began last September, with up to 100,000 people taking to the streets.

They support Mr Gbagbo and believe that the peace pact mediated in Paris is unacceptable because it gives cabinet positions to rebels who tried to overthrow the president in a coup.

Correspondents say the public opposition has been affecting Mr Gbagbo, who had earlier appeared to back the deal.

PEACE DEAL

The BBC's Tom McKinley in Abidjan says it will now be a mammoth task to rescue the floundering accord.

While Mr Gbagbo smiled as he left the meeting, the body language from the representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) was harder to read, reports said.

French concern

Tension remained high around Abidjan, though the huge rally was peaceful.

Earlier in the week, about 300 French citizens waiting to leave the country were trapped in the airport terminal by stone-throwing crowds and had to be protected by French troops.

France, the former colonial power in Ivory Coast, has advised all its non-essential nationals to leave.

The conflict has split Ivory Coast along ethnic and religious lines.

The rebels control the largely Muslim north, while the mainly Christian south, including Abidjan, remains in government hands.