Madagascar Rivals Leave Seychelles without Agreement

Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina and ousted leader Marc Ravalomanana left the Seychelles Thursday, after failing to strike a deal in talks aimed at ending three years of political crisis.

"The former president Marc Ravalomanana has left the Seychelles this morning by a commercial flight," a Seychelles government official said, adding that Rajoelina left shortly after.

Rajoelina met with Ravalomanana -- the man he toppled in 2009 with the support of the army, now exiled in South Africa -- for a half-hour Wednesday without result, although the pair said discussions would continue in the future.

Rajoelina's government has announced elections for next year in the large Indian Ocean island nation, but is opposed to Ravalomanana contesting the vote, arguing that a criminal conviction disqualifies him.

It was the second direct encounter between the rivals in the Seychelles in two weeks, after a first round on July 25 also ended without resolution.

The 15-nation Southern African Development Community, which mediated the talks, has extended a deadline to August 16 for the rivals to settle their differences.