Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara and his main rival, Henri Konan Bédié, have met for talks for the first time since the recent election crisis in the country.
Both Ouattara and Bédié, an 86-year-old former president, arrived at an upmarket hotel in Abidjan amid a swarm of reporters, several hours after the much-awaited meeting was announced by the government.
Their talks are the first since Ouattara secured the October 31 election by more than 94 percent amidts a dispute after opposition leaders rejected the vote.
While President Ouattara said It was a first meeting to break the ice and restore trust, Opposition chief Bédié said they have been able to break through the wall of ice and the wall of silence.
The face-to-face between Ouattara and Bedie follows insistence from the UN, EU, former colonial power France and Ivory Coast’s neighbours for efforts to ease the tension.
Ouattara and Bedie have been central figures in Ivorian politics for decades. The two men said further meetings would also take place.
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