ABIDJAN, April 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Cote d'Ivoire's government and opposition forces met Thursday in the central city of Bouake to resume talks suspended five months ago on disarming the insurgentsand recomposing government forces, Cote d'Ivoire's national TV reported.

    Representatives from both the government and opposition forces, a special envoy of South African President Thabo Mbeki, commanders of the United Nations peacekeeping troops and French force Unicornas well as several ministers from Cote d'Ivoire's government attended the talks which produced no agreement on Thursday.

    A second round of talks was agreed upon for Saturday.

    Cote d'Ivoire has been divided between a rebel-held north and loyalist south since September 2002 when a failed coup to oust President Laurent Gbagbo erupted into civil war.

    A 2003 peace agreement signed in France and another in Ghana last year failed to take hold as Cote d'Ivoire's air forces raided some targets in rebel-held cities in November 2004 in a military operation.

    The airstrike killed nine French soldiers and angered opposition forces which later suspended contacts with the government.

    Under the mediation of UN and French forces, government and opposition forces in Cote d'Ivoire have held several rounds of negotiations last year.

    On April 6, the two sides agreed to end hostilities and immediately start disarming program, at a meeting mediated by Mbeki in Pretoria, South Africa. Enditem