Kenya rivals sign agreement in crisis talks
AFP - NAIROBI (AFP) — Kenya's rival parties on Thursday signed an agreement during talks mediated by Kofi Annan to end a crisis sparked by disputed presidential ...
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Kenya rivals sign agreement in crisis talks
6 hours ago
NAIROBI (AFP) — Kenya's rival parties on Thursday signed an agreement during talks mediated by Kofi Annan to end a crisis sparked by disputed presidential elections, a UN statement said.
No details were given but Annan has called a news conference for Friday to "outline what was agreed in 48 hours of discussion at a location outside the capital", said the statement.
"Mr Annan will make available the text of the agreement signed today between the two parties," it added.
The former UN secretary general had been pushing for a power-sharing agreement to resolve the dispute over the December elections that unleashed violence in which more than 1,000 people have died.
Talks were to resume on Monday in Nairobi, the statement added.
Kenya descended into violence after President Mwai Kibaki, 76, was declared the winner of the December 27 vote that the opposition said was rigged. International observers also found flaws in the tallying of ballots.
According to the Kenyan Red Cross, more than 1,000 people have died in rioting, tribal clashes and police raids since the vote and 300,000 people have been displaced, shattering Kenya's image as one of Africa's most stable countries.
In an address to parliament this week, Annan put forward the idea of a "grand coalition" government that could oversee reforms and pave the way to elections, possibly in two years.
But Kibaki's lead negotiator Martha Karua sent a protest letter to Annan, saying such a power-sharing arrangement had never been discussed in the mediation talks or "agreed upon."
Kibaki had steadfastly maintained that he won the presidential vote fairly and should not have to share power with his rival Raila Odinga, 62, who says he was robbed of the presidency.
A press conference was called for 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) Friday in Nairobi [NB: that is 9:00 a.m. EST in USA], said Nasser Ega-Musa, a UN spokesman who is also acting as the mediation team's press officer.
Annan had said he was hoping for a breakthrough on a power-sharing deal by the end of this week.
The former UN chief had been holed up with the two negotiating teams at a safari lodge in southern Kenya since Tuesday to finalise a deal far removed from the media glare.
Kibaki has been under mounting international pressure to agree to a power-sharing deal with the United States and Britain threatening visa bans among other sanctions if the Annan-led mediation failed.
The agreement was signed as US President George W. Bush prepared to embark on a five-nation Africa tour that his aides said would in part serve to "rally the continent" behind Annan's power-sharing plan.
Former colonial power Britain said Kibaki's government "as presently constituted" lacked legitimacy, serving notice that the power-sharing deal sought by Annan was the only option.
"Given the irregularities reported by observers around the presidential elections, we do not recognize the Kenyan government as presently constituted as representing the will of the Kenyan people," British High Commissioner Adam Wood said in an interview with Kenyan television.
Speculation on the deal centred on a possible power-sharing government in which Odinga, 62, could be named prime minister, a post that would have to be created by constitutional amendment.
The post-election turmoil has laid bare tribalism as well as simmering resentment over land issues and wealth disparities in Kenya, long considered a model of stability in Africa.
As Kenyans awaited details of the deal, relative calm has taken hold across the country for the first time in weeks, with no incidents reported in western Kenya, which had been the worst hit by the violence.
Copyright © 2008 AFP. All rights reserved.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5htoCpflDr4QZJpb-YQ628aoeBD8A
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