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reuters

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - The United Nations mission in Ivory Coast refused on Friday to approve Laurent Gbagbo's re-election as president on Friday, saying the true results showed his rival Alassane Ouattara was the victor.

Signalling the start of concerted diplomatic moves to isolate Gbagbo, U.N. diplomats said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the 15-member Security Council also back provisional results that gave Ouattara victory with a 54.1 percent score.

Earlier, Ivory Coast's Constitutional Council -- led by a staunch Gbagbo ally -- upheld his complaints of vote-rigging in the rebel-held north and declared him the re-elected president.

But U.N. mission chief Y.J. Choi, who is required under peace agreements made after the West African country's 2002-2003 civil war to sign off on the election result, announced that he did not recognise Gbagbo as the winner.

"The results of the second round of the presidential elections as announced on December 2 by the electoral commission do not change, confirming that candidate Alassane Ouattara won the election," UN mission chief Y.J. Choi told reporters.

"Even if all the complaints made by the presidential camp were taken into account … the outcome of the vote as proclaimed by the CEI (electoral commission) would not change, with Alassane Ouattara being the winner."

The announcement raises numerous questions about how far the world body, which has a around 10,000 peacekeepers and police in the country, would be prepared to go if Gbagbo insists on remaining in power despite huge international pressure.

Allies of Ouattara warned earlier of dire consequences if the Constitutional Council, headed by Gbagbo party ally Paul Yao N'dre, overturned the provisional result -- a move he announced minutes later on state television.