Abidjan - Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday held separate talks with both Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to cede power and Alassane Ouattara, who also claims himself president, in an effort to help resolve the country's political crisis.
Obasanjo arrived in Abidjan on Sunday evening for an unannounced visit to "discuss the post-electoral crisis" in Cote d'Ivoire, as put by the top UN envoy in the country, Choi Young-jin.
During his meeting with Gbagbo, Obasanjo said that regime change was inevitable in Cote d'Ivoire, according to local media.
During his meeting with Ouattara, Obasanjo conveyed to him the strong support of the international community, which he said always respected the results announced by the country's Independent Electoral Commission. The results showed that Ouattara won the election in the second round, according to the report.
Obasanjo was commissioned by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who also doubles as the chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). So far, four African presidents have visited for mediation but all left without any sign of success.
Cote d'Ivoire has been in a political impasse since the landmark presidential run-off held on 28 November. Both Gbagbo and Ouattara claimed victory, swore themselves in as president of the country and formed their respective governments.
The Independent Electoral Commission on 2 December released provisional results showing that Ouattara won the election in the second round with 54 percent of the votes.
The country's Constitutional Council, however, immediately declared that the results were invalid and announced Gbagbo as the winner.
The United Nations, African Union and ECOWAS have all thrown their support behind Ouattara. ECOWAS had earlier urged Gbagbo to step down and vowed the use of legitimate force if he fails to heed its immutable demand.
The Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, at an emergency meeting on 24 December in Abuja, resolved to deploy peace envoys to Cote d'Ivoire. Specifically, the authority had said it would advise Gbagbo to make a peaceful exit by dispatching a special high level delegation to the country.
