Cote D'Ivoire 'ready for talks'

story/video by Al Jazeera
report by Bernard Smith

Cote D'Ivoire's incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo is offering talks with his election rival, as the UN warns of a return to all out conflict. The international community has thrown its support behind his rival Alassane Ouattara, describing him as the rightful winner of November's vote.

Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General, said that were was the "real risk" of another civil war in Cote D'Ivoire. And the US has approved travel sanctions on Gbagbo and 30 of his allies as pressure mounts for him to step down. But in his first television address since November's disputed poll, Gbagbo reached out to his rival, and invited international observers to review the election results.