Attempts by the French government to negotiate with the "yellow vest" movement responsible for weeks of protests over taxes and the high cost of living have turned into a fiasco after just two representatives turned up for a meeting with the prime minister and one immediately walked out.

The failed talks came on the eve of a planned rally in Paris of thousands of demonstrators, one week after a violent protest in the city.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had invited eight representatives of the protesters, known as "yellow vests" for their wearing of the high-visibility yellow jackets which every motorist is required to carry in his car, for the talks.

The meeting was an attempt to take heat out of a revolt that has galvanised opposition to President Emmanuel Macron's liberal economic policies.

But only two turned up for the talks at the prime minister's office, with one walking out after being told he could not invite television cameras in to broadcast the meeting live to the nation.

Asked later by reporters what his demands were, Jason Herbert said: "We want our dignity back and we want to be able to live from our work, which is absolutely not the case today".

Mr Herbert said the two representatives who had turned up for the meeting had received "physical and verbal threats" from other protesters, some of whom are opposed in principle to having appointed leaders.

Read more:Seeing yellow: The high-vis tax protests rocking France

Emerging from an hour of talks with the second representative, Mr Philippe said the pair had mainly discussed spending power and that his door "will always remain open" for further dialogue.

One of the difficulties faced by the government in seeking to talk to protesters is that the mainly-spontaneous grassroot movement, organised through social media, has steadfastly refused to align with any political party or trade union.

Mr Macron has refused to back down on his anti-pollution taxes, part of his effort to green the economy.

Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina, he said he understood "the legitimate anger, the impatience and the suffering of some people" and called for more time to organise consultations on how to transform France into a low-carbon economy without penalising the poor.

But he warned that any measures announced "in the coming weeks and months" would "never be a retreat" on policy.

Mr Macron's government has announced several measures to try to end the unrest, which triggered near riots on the Champs-Elysees in Paris last Saturday.

But the president's refusal to back down on a planned increase in anti-pollution taxes on fuel set to take effect in January has hardened the resolve of many protesters, including in Reunion, one of the poorest parts of France.

Demonstrators there have blocked roads across the island over the past two weeks, crippling the local economy.

Minister for overseas territories Annick Girardin - on a peace mission to quieten the protests on the Indian Ocean island - was forced to cut short a meeting with demonstrators after being booed by protesters shouting "Macron, resign!"

Demonstrators will return to the Champs-Elysees tomorrow to press their demands, which include a moratorium on fuel tax increases, an increase in the minimum wage and a national housing insulation plan.

The government has said it will allow the protest, but the avenue will be closed to traffic and protesters will be searched by police before being allowed into the area.

In neighbouring Belgium, anti-riot officers used water cannon today to disperse stone-throwing "yellow vest" protesters in the centre of Brussels.