Friday, February 22, 2008
Africa’s top diplomat pushes Kenya rivals to agree
Africa’s top diplomat pushed Kenya’s feuding parties on Friday to reach a speedy deal after the government agreed in principle to create a prime minister’s post to help end a deadly post-election crisis. “The weekend will be crucial. We hope that next week we’ll have something which can be agreed,” newly-elected African Union chairman Jean Ping told a news conference in Nairobi. The opposition has demanded a powerful role as executive premier for their leader Raila Odinga, who accuses President Mwai Kibaki of rigging the December 27 poll. Kibaki’s team says he won fairly, and accuses the opposition of instigating riots and ethnic violence that killed 1,000 people, displaced 300,000 and wrecked Kenya’s image as a stable business, tourism and transport hub.