Major changes to laws on eligibility to hold political office and to own land have been outlined by Côte d'Ivoire's political parties and rebel movements meeting in France since 15 January. They promise a full accord to be ratified at a summit in Paris on 25-26 January. As formal diplomacy proceeds abroad, new ethnic alliances and divisions are developing at home, sparking more fighting. The talks in the National Rugby Centre at Marcoussis, south of Paris, are mediated by Pierre Mazeaud, an ally of President Jacques Chirac, member of the Conseil Constitutionnel and former minister with experience of constitutional law in Africa but no close association with the delegates.