Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Monday invited his chief rival Henri Konan Bedie for talks to defuse a standoff over his contested election to a third term. Ouattara won the October 31 vote with more than 94 percent, but Ivory Coast is caught in a crisis after opposition leaders boycotted the ballot and vowed to set up a rival government in protest over a mandate they see as illegal. pma/ach