Abidjan - African envoys tasked with finding an end to Ivory Coast's presidential standoff held "useful" talks with embattled leader Laurent Gbagbo before going to meet his internationally recognised rival.

"We will return," said Benin President Boni Yayi, who stood alongside a smiling Gbagbo, following around two hours of talks.

Yayi and the presidents of Sierra Leone and Cape Verde, as well as Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, have been mandated by the west African regional bloc Ecowas to press Gbagbo to stand aside in favour of his rival, Alassane Ouattara, and avoiding an armed intervention.

"It was useful," Odinga said of the talks with Gbagbo, with the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) having already said that the only alternative to Gbagbo stepping down is sending troops to Ivory Coast.

It is the envoys' second visit after Gbagbo, who retains control of the army, rejected a first attempt last week to persuade him to step down and end the crisis that has sparked international condemnation and fears of a civil war.

By SAPA