France's right-wing opposition UMP took a step towards healing the damaging rift that has divided the party when the two rival leaders appeared to agree on a fresh leadership vote next September, reports AFP.
After a month of bitter recriminations, Jean-Francois Cope, who won last month's hotly disputed leadership battle, appeared Sunday to have accepted the new vote after a telephone conversation with his rival, former prime minister Francois Fillon.
Previously, Cope had refused any fresh vote before the 2014 local elections.
Cope's camp told AFP that Cope had made the concession in a bid to calm the damaging row. The September 2013 date would fall mid-way between the March 2014 vote he had initially wanted and the March 2013 deadline Fillon had set.
The question of dates had been the major blocking point in the battle between the two camps.
It leaves the way clear to negotiating the reunification of the party in parliament. Last month, Fillon created his own parliament group, dubbed the Rally for the UMP (R-UMP), depriving the UMP of 68 of its 194 deputies.
Talks to settle that matter were set for Monday, sources in both camps said.
Cope told AFP Sunday he was confident he could reach an agreement with Fillon.
"The problem of the calendar for a new election was the last sticking point between us," he said.
"The mediation of (former prime minister) Jean-Pierre Raffarin allowed us to advance in a very positive manner," he added.
Read more of this report from AFP.