The Ivory Coast 's Laurent Gbagbo will not step down , his foreign minister says . The official dismisses as unlikely a threat by West African leaders to use force against Gbagbo . Meanwhile , the Dutch Defense Ministry said on Friday that at the request of France , it had dispatched one of its ships to the Ivory Coast to help evacuate European citizens in case the situation worsens . On Friday , that group said it may have `` no alternative '' but to use `` legitimate force '' in order to stop the violence and restore order.
The Ivory Coast 's Laurent Gbagbo will not step down , his foreign minister says . The official dismisses as unlikely a threat by West African leaders to use force against Gbagbo . On Friday , that group said it may have `` no alternative '' but to use `` legitimate force '' in order to stop the violence and restore order.