Several of Africa's most powerful leaders have arrived in Ivory Coast for talks with the Ivorian military leader, General Robert Guei, on the political crisis there. The delegation - which includes the presidents of Nigeria, Algeria and South Africa - is headed by President Eyadema of Togo, the current chair of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). President Mbeki (left) condemned the coup which brought General Guei (right) to power Sources at the talks told the BBC delegates are discussing the possibility of postponing presidential elections, due next month, and holding parliamentary elections first. General Guei seized power after a military coup last December, and is attempting to stop the main opposition leader, Alassane Ouattarra, from standing in the elections on the grounds that he is not an Ivorian citizen. Regional fears The BBC West Africa correspondent says African leaders fear the dispute could plunge Ivory Coast into chaos, affecting the entire region. The delegation came to Abidjan after five hours of talks late on Sunday in the Togolese capital, Lome. Alassane Ouattara (right) says he is qualified to stand as a presidential candidate Although invited, no one from Ivory Coast attended - General Guei refused to go citing security reasons, and he refused to lift a travel ban that restricted the movement of political leaders. The seven leaders are holding discussions with members of General Guei's military administration and opposition political leaders. Diplomatic sources in Abidjan told the Reuters news agency that General Guei sent a letter to the country's political parties last week suggesting presidential elections be postponed for two years. Collision course Sources at the OAU-mediated talks in Abidjan say delegates had little objection to the elections being postponed for a few months, but they would also like to see General Guei step down completely and allow all civilian candidates to stand. General Guei is also expected to object to proposals to hold parliamentary elections before presidential polls. He only has the support of a number of small, recently-formed parties which would be unlikely to perform well in legislative elections. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------