Former South African President Thabo Mbeki flew to Cote d'Ivoire on an emergency mission on Saturday at the request of the African Union (AU) to help resolve the dispute following presidential elections there.

The Thabo Mbeki Foundation said in a statement to the South African Press Association (SAPA) that the request came from the chairman of the commission of the African Union, Jean Ping.

Mbeki had spoken to both Cote d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo and opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara by telephone, the statement said.

Both Gbagbo and Ouattara agreed with Jean Ping's request for Mbeki to travel to Cote d'Ivoire for talks with the parties.

Mbeki had been in Khartoum, Sudan on AU business when the call came, SAPA said.

In Pretoria, South Africa's department of international relations and cooperation (DIRCO) said that South Africa would await the outcome of AU discussions before declaring its position on the Cote d'Ivoire elections.

DIRCO said the South African government noted the pronouncements of the electoral commission and the constitutional council of Cote d'Ivoire on the outcomes of the election.

Spokesman Clayson Monyela said DIRCO is continuing to monitor the developments.

He said South African welcomes an urgent convening of an extraordinary session of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) in Addis Ababa to deliberate on the issue.