Talks end without agreement

African mediators have yet again failed to negotiate a lasting political settlement between Madagascar's political rivals, as renewed peace talks in Dakar, Senegal, ended on Sunday without agreement. Negotiators, however, remained optimistic and produced a plan aimed at diffusing the political crisis that has paralysed the Indian Ocean Island for the last six months. Senegal's Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio announced late on Sunday that the meeting had ended. However, officials said neither of the rivals had signed up for a proposal put forward by the team of five presidents, French news agency, AFP reported. The talks dubbed "Dakar II" were the first face-to-face meeting between newly-elected president Marc Ravalomanana and former president Didier Ratsiraka since April. A previous round of talks in the west African country came to nought as neither side implemented any of the suggestions made by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The main criticism of the OAU plan was that it was vague and left many questions unanswered. Ravalomanana refused to dissolve his government while Ratsiraka reneged on his promise to dismantle the blockade around the capital, Antananarivo. The plan, which is seen as a revision of the first accord, calls for legislative elections to be held before the end of the year and for a balanced transitional government. It also provides a power-sharing arrangement. Ravalomanana will nominate the prime minister while Ratsiraka will appoint three other key ministers. The plan prioritised an end to all violence on the island and urged international donors to step in with financial aid so as to help a transitional government reconstruct bridges and roads destroyed in the ongoing political conflict. Ravalomanana and Ratsiraka have been invited to offer their own commentaries on the plan and come up with additional suggestions. The OAU has yet to officially recognise Ravalomanana as president. There is scepticism about the prospects for peace after the first round failed dismally. Madeleine Ramaholimihaso, who headed the consortium of civil society organisations that supervised the December presidential poll, told IRIN: "There isn't anything particularly new about the plan and the fact that neither of the men have signed the proposal says a lot about their commitment to resolving this problem. It is as if we are back to square one." The failure of the OAU to bring about a political solution has also thrown the organisation's credibility into doubt. Africa analyst at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, Stephen Ellis said: "The OAU on its own lacks the political clout. It does not have the political or economic leverage to effect major changes." The diplomatic push followed a surge in fighting in the north last week, with pro-Ravalomanana forces mounting an offensive to gain control of areas loyal to Ratsiraka. Ravalomanana was finally sworn in as president a month ago after a recount, agreed upon by both men at the first round of talks in Dakar, declared him the outright winner of December's poll. Ratsiraka, the incumbent president and the island's leader for much of the past three decades, has refused to relinquish his grip on power. The crisis, which started in January with mass rallies in the capital in favour of Ravalomanana, has degenerated into an increasingly violent confrontation, in which at least 60 people have reportedly been killed in sporadic clashes.