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Kikwete in Kenya to help boost peace talks
2008-02-27 09:21:38
By Guardian Reporter
President Jakaya Kikwete left for Nairobi, Kenya yesterday to add weight to talks intended to end Kenya`s political crisis that has left more than 1000 people dead.
Prior to Kikwete`s arrival, former UN chief Kofi Annan suspended Kenya`s crisis talks yesterday to consult President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga on how to push through a power-sharing deal.
``I`m going to engage the leaders ... in the hope that we will find a way of moving much faster ... The sessions are suspended for the moment and I will discuss with the leaders how we will move forward,`` Annan told reporters.
Kikwete is the current Chairman of the African Union.
The talks being mediated by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan had come to a standstill with both sides saying President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga needed to step in to break the deadlock.
Both leaders have come under international and domestic pressure to compromise over Kibaki`s disputed re-election in a Dec. 27 vote, an event that sparked ethnic violence in which 1,000 people were killed and 300,000 forced to flee their homes.
A statement from the State House in Dar es Salaam said yesterday that President Kikwete had been requested by Annan to attend the talks in his capacity as AU chairman.
While in Nairobi, Kikwete will hold talks with Annan before meeting both President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga.
Annan met Kibaki and Odinga separately on Monday evening but negotiators could not say whether the two leaders were any closer to a deal.
``I think there is some agreement on some (issues) and not on others but we are still talking,`` Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said after the two sides broke for lunch.
Mediator Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general, is ready to leave Kenya if there is no progress, according
to a source close to the talks.
The opposition has said it will stage nationwide protests tomorrow if there is no deal. Police had no comments on whether they would permit the demonstrations.
Earlier protests descended into riots and looting that were met with a deadly police response, while simultaneous rounds of ethnic killings and revenge attacks took place in different parts of Kenya.
The bloodshed has damaged Kenya`s reputation as a prosperous trade and tourism hub and a haven of stability in a region riddled with violence.
Against this background, the government has agreed in principle to create a prime minister`s position as demanded by the opposition.
But the parties are split on the premier`s powers, sharing of ministries and the possibility of a new election if the coalition collapses.
Police on Monday arrested at least 200 youths said to be undergoing military training at a farm owned by a former legislator, near the clash-hit Mt. Elgon area, local media reported.
The men, found in military uniforms, said they were from areas of western Kenya— hit by post-election violence— and were being trained to protect their people, the Standard newspaper reported. A police spokesman gave no immediate comment.
In another development, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticised Kenyan leaders for failing to end their political stand-off and said Washington would take ``necessary steps`` if a solution was not reached.
Rice, who is on a trip to China, said that while there had been some progress, ``I am disappointed by the failure of leadership necessary to resolve all the remaining issues.``
She added: ``I want to emphasise that the future of our relationship with both sides and their legitimacy hinges on their cooperation to achieve this political solution.
``In that regard, we are exploring a wide range of possible actions. We will draw our own conclusions about who is responsible for lack of progress and take necessary steps.`` She did not elaborate.
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