The delegation of African leaders has left the Ivory Coast with the nation's incumbent president still refusing to quit, taking the country a step closer to open conflict. After several hours of talks, the presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde came away with little to show for their efforts. Embattled incumbent Laurent Gbagbo is insisting he won November's poll and says claims otherwise are all part of a French-orchestrated plot. The pressure on the incumbent leader is intense, but Mr Gbagbo's answer, articulated by his spokesman Ohoupa Sessegnon, is that he will not budge. Mr Gbagbo has also refused a US offer of a dignified exit despite being threatened with an invasion by his neighbours and having his assets abroad frozen. The African delegation has returned to Nigeria to report to president Goodluck Jonathan on what appears to be the failure of their mission to persuade Mr Gbagbo to stand down peacefully.