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ANTANANARIVO, June 18 (AFP) - President Marc Ravalomanana of strife-torn Madagascar dashed hopes for reconciliation Tuesday by excluding any key supporters of his arch-foe, former leader Didier Ratsiraka, from a new government.

Most members of the government Ravalomanana dissolved on Sunday were retained in the new line-up announced Tuesday.

After fiercely contesting a December presidential election, Ravalomanana and Ratsiraka embarked on a bitter power stuggle which late last month culminated in clashes in the north of the country between troops loyal to both men.

Ravalomanana had recently raised hopes for an end to the crisis by pledging to work towards reconciliation.

Aside from Prime Minister Jacques Sylla, whom Ravalomanana has reappointed twice now, the new government has 32 members, one more than the previous team.

Six ministers are newcomers.

One of them is General Syvain Rabotoarison, a onetime gendarmerie commander under Ratsiraka's regime who joined Ravalomanana's camp a few weeks ago.

The five other new ministers, who were given relatively minor portfolios, are almost unknown on the political scene in Madagascar, except for Henri Rakotonirainy, a former MP for Ratsiraka's party. He was named junior minister for foreign trade.

"This is clearly no more an inclusive government than the last one," one local political analyst told Nampa-AFP after the new list was released.

"There is no opening up. Everybody knew that General Rabotoarison had joined Ravalomanana a long time ago," added a political journalist.

One of Ravalomanana's advisers did his best to put a positive spin on the affair.

"Reconciliation does not necessarily mean reconciliation with a political party but can also mean ethnic and geographical reconciliation. On that level, the balance is there," he said.

But a member of Ratsiraka's political party countered: "This does not look like an opening up at all."

Ratsiraka himself left Madagascar for France last week, but insisted he was not fleeing and would soon return. Little has been heard from him since.

Following an offensive launched in late May, Ravalomanana's men now control several of the island's most important seaports.

On Tuesday, near the northwestern town of Ambanja, 900 kilometres (550 miles) northwest of the capital, a unit led by hardline Ratsiraka supporter Lieutenant Colonel Ancelin Coutiti had dug in almost impenetrably on a bridge, according to one of Ravalomanana's officers.

Ambanja itself was calm Tuesday morning, and was still in the hands of Coutiti's men, a resident told Nampa-AFP, adding that sporadic gunfire could be heard from the bridge.

Meanwhile, the situation on the nearby tourist resort island of Nosy Be was also calm but tense.

Coutiti and his men are alleged to have presided over a reign of terror on the island since the beginning of the crisis six months ago.

The mutilated corpses of six of Ravalomanana's soldiers and two civilians have been found since Saturday on Nosy Be, where Coutiti has stepped up his hunt for the new president's men in recent days.

Five of the dead soldiers were part of an advance unit flown to the island early this month.

Early Tuesday Coutiti left Ambanja with his men to reinforce Nosy Be, military sources there said. - Nampa-AFP

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