African leaders gave South African President Thabo Mbeki more time to negotiate peace in Cote d’Ivoire, but his mediation initiative ran into trouble hours later when rebels boycotted a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday at which he was guest of honour. A rebel spokesman accused Mbeki, who has been trying to broker a peace deal for the past two months, of “betrayal.” The African Union’s Peace and Security Council wrapped up a summit in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with a plea to all the Ivorian factions to overcome political sticking points and proceed with disarmament to pave the way for elections in October.