Annan embarks on final push for Kenya compromise
Annan embarks on final push for Kenya compromise
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
NAIROBI: Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general, embarked on a final push to squeeze a compromise from Kenya’s feuding president and opposition leader Wednesday.
Annan, who has been mediating in the crisis, has set up direct meetings with the men to break a stalemate that has kept the East African country in limbo between a power-sharing government and ethnic violence.
Two months after the disputed Kenyan presidential vote, Annan suspended monthlong talks between the two political parties on Tuesday, saying he would personally appeal to their leaders to strike a deal because talks were “turning around in circles.”
The opposition, meanwhile, called off mass rallies that had been planned for Thursday. Past rallies have turned violent. The opposition leader, Raila Odinga, said the move was in response to a request from Annan.
President Mwai Kibaki and Odinga each claim victory in the December presidential election. Local and international observers have said the results were manipulated, making it unclear who won.
Post-election violence has largely subsided in recent weeks, but attacks that killed more than 1,000 people and forced 600,000 from their homes have left the country on edge.
Much of the violence has been ethnic, between supporters of Kibaki, a Kikuyu, and groups who back Odinga, a Luo. The bloodshed has tarnished the reputation of a country once seen as a beacon of stability in Africa.
International pressure on both sides has been mounting. The U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, who visited Kenya earlier this month to urge progress, said Washington’s relations with any future Kenyan administration were at stake.
“I want to emphasize that the future of our relationship with both sides and their legitimacy hinges on their cooperation to achieve this political solution,” Rice said, without elaborating.
The United States was disappointed that talks had had to be suspended and will review the “full range of options” it might take, said Tom Casey, a U.S. State Department spokesman. He declined to discuss any specifics.
The European Union also condemned the lack of progress and threatened to take some sort of action to pressure Kenya’s leaders.
“Individuals who obstruct the ‘national dialogue’ process or who encourage violence will have to face the consequences,” said the EU’s commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, Louis Michel. “The European Union is determined to take all appropriate measures, and all options are being considered.”
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