Catholic bishops play a role:

Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo and the United Nations-backed transitional government Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny met face-to-face behind closed doors late on Wednesday for the first time after last month’s public showdown, an official source said.

The meeting lasting about three hours was held at the behest of the country’s Roman Catholic bishops who have in recent days mediated between the two after relations took an unprecedented dip.

"It is an attempt at reconciliation and bringing them together to try and reduce the tension and to get the government to work," an official in the presidency has said, requesting not to be named.