Ivorian rebel leader arrives for talks with Mbeki

Guillaume Soro, Ivory Coast's rebel leader, arrived in South Africa today for talks with President Thabo Mbeki on ending renewed fighting that has sent thousands of foreigners fleeing the West African country.

Bheki Khumalo, a presidential spokesperson said Mbeki would first hold separate talks with Seydou Diarra, the Ivorian prime minister, who was due to arrive a little later.

"Guillaume Soro has arrived and Diarra will arrive shortly. The president will meet Diarra and then Sorro about two and a half hours later," Khumalo added.

Mbeki is mandated by the African Union to mediate in the conflict in the world's top cocoa grower which risks destabilising the rest of volatile West Africa. He has already met Ivorian President Luarent Gbagbo in Abidjan and held consultations in Pretoria with Ivorian opposition leaders. - Reuters