Renewed efforts to resolve a political feud between rival leaders in Madagascar which has paralysed the island for months are taking place in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

Five African heads of state have been involved in separate meetings with the two men at the heart of the power struggle - the elected President Marc Ravalomanana and veteran ruler, Didier Ratsiraka.

The discussions are intended to pave the way for a face-to-face meeting between the two men.

The talks take place against a background of worsening violence in Madagascar following bitterly disputed elections last December.

Fighting flared in the north last week, with pro-Ravalomanana forces mounting an offensive to gain control of areas loyal to Mr Ratsiraka.

The BBC's southern Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead says the level of frustration among ordinary Madagascans has forced both leaders to try to break the impasse.

Search for settlement

Mr Ravalomanana was finally sworn in as president a month ago after a recount agreed by both men at previous talks in Dakar.

	Widening divisions: 16 December 2001: Presidential election, incumbent Didier Ratsiraka challenged by capital's mayor Marc Ravalomanana 7 January 2002: Opposition claim rigging, begin daily protests 25 January: Run-off ordered after inconclusive result 27 February: Violent clashes in capital, days after Ravalomanana declares himself president 18 April: Rivals sign peace deal in Senegal 16 May: Ravalomanana sworn in after recount awards him victory Q&A Madagascar's turmoil

However Mr Ratsiraka, the incumbent president and the island's leader for much of the past three decades, has refused to hand over power.

The mediators in Dakar - the presidents of Senegal, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Congo-Brazzaville and Burkina Faso - hope to produce new proposals for a negotiated political settlement and economic reconstruction.

After hosting a first round of consultations through into the early hours of the morning, Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade said Mr Ravalomanana was still adamant there would only be a solution in Madagascar if Didier Ratsiraka left the political stage.

Mr Wade added that there was no reason to be pessimistic about the prospects for a settlement.

However it is not clear what kind of compromise the mediators may have in mind, or what kind of pressure the international community can bring to bear to make any future agreement work.

Divided island

Mr Ravalomanana controls the capital Antananarivo and a province in the south-east of the island, while Mr Ratsiraka retains the loyalty of governors in the remaining four provinces.

On Friday, the Madagascan army came under the nominal control of Mr Ravalomanana, after the chief of staff named by Mr Ratsiraka handed over power to a new general.

Blockades have devastated the economy

The leader of the gendarmerie has also handed power to a pro-Ravalomanana appointee.

French-trained elite commandos, the Rapid Intervention Force (RFI), have remained loyal to Mr Ratsiraka throughout the dispute.

They were dispatched on Monday to retake Sambava and the surrounding vanilla-producing region of Diego Suarez after an incursion by pro-Ravalomanana forces.