Abidjan, Ivory Coast (CNN) -- Three presidents from African nations arrived in Ivory Coast on Tuesday in an effort to thwart the country's political crisis.
Presidents Yayi Boni of Benin, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde were meeting with Young-Jin Choi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy and a representative of the African Union.
They are scheduled to meet with President Laurent Gbagbo and later with his challenger Alassane Ouattara, who both claimed victory in presidential elections held last month.
The three heads of state represent the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which held an emergency meeting last Friday in Nigeria and delivered an ultimatum to Gbagbo to step down or face the threat of military force. CNN
