Give Annan a chance
Mr Kofi Annan is expected in Nairobi today to take up the role of chief mediator in the dangerous standoff that followed the disputed presidential election results. One of the early priorities of the former UN secretary-general might be to arrange a direct meeting between the main protagonists, President Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
It is important at this stage that both sides observe go-slow on the sabre-rattling in order to create conducive grounds for discussions. When he accepted to take over from where Ghanaian President John Kufuor left off over a week ago, Mr Annan expressed hope that both sides would cooperate. He pointed out that the purpose of the mission, which also includes former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa and former South Africa First Lady Graca Machel, was to help the people of Kenya find a peaceful and just solution to the current crisis. The point, which has been made by many others, is that international mediators cannot achieve anything, unless the Kenya people want a solution.
We believe that the Kenyan people are desperate for an end to killings, violence and human displacement on a mass scale. But we are not sure their political leaders, who have so cynically exploited a political crisis and ignored the suffering of the people they claim to lead, are ready. Even before the talks start, we are still seeing too many bellicose statements and actions that seem designed to inflame an already terrible situation. But at the end of the day, the eyes of Kenyans and the world are on the two principal protagonists. It is President Kibaki and Mr Odinga who will decide whether Kenya returns to a robust democracy and a peaceful and stable nation, or whether it goes the way of so many African failed states.
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