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Ouattara’s call came after regional bloc ECOWAS said it was prepared to use military force as a last resort to oust Gbagbo who retains control of the army and continues to defy international calls to step down.

“If he persists, it’s up to ECOWAS to take the necessary measures and those measures can include legitimate force,” Ouattara told journalists at the Abidjan hotel where he has for weeks been besieged by Gbagbo forces. Legitimate force doesn’t mean a force against Ivorians,” he said, with the crisis threatening to plunge the west African nation back into civil war.

“It’s a force to remove Laurent Gbagbo and that’s been done elsewhere, in Africa and in Latin America, there are non-violent special operations which allow simply to take the unwanted person and take him elsewhere.”

The latest bid by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union to mediate an end to the crisis that has seen at least 210 people killed since the disputed November 28 election floundered on Tuesday.

West African military chiefs have set in motion plans to oust Gbagbo if negotiations fail, with another crisis mediation mission to be decided soon.-AFP