The chairman of the African Union (AU) John Kufuor is holding
separate talks with Kenya's key political leaders on Wednesday to
mediate an end to the political crisis that has left nearly 500
people dead.
Ghanaian President John Kufuor met briefly with President Mwai
Kibaki before holding talks with opposition leader Raila
Odinga.
"Diplomacy does not require matters which are very sensitive to
be discussed through the media. President Kufuor has met with
Odinga and later with party officials and has returned to State
House for further discussions with President Kibaki," Odinga's
spokesman Salim Lone told journalists.
Kufuor's visit is expected to build on the mediation efforts of
the top U.S. diplomat on Africa, Jendayi Frazer, who has spent
several days shuttling between the two sides.
But the AU chairman's efforts were complicated Tuesday when his
Kenyan counterpart unveiled half the members of his new Cabinet,
none of which are members of Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement
party.
"We tabled all our demands which included retallying of the
votes but as you know these matters are very sensitive to be
discussed here. Kufuor would be available for questions at the end
of his visit," Lone said.
Odinga's ODM denounced cabinet appointments as evidence Kibaki
is unwilling to negotiate an end to a stalemate following last
month's disputed presidential election.
Odinga has turned down the president's offer to hold face-to-
face talks on Friday, saying he would do so only in the presence of
an international mediator.
Foreign envoys have criticized president's move to appointed
ministers, saying it would derail peace negotiations.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has extended the
diplomatic mission of Assistant Secretary of State for African
Affairs Frazer.
U.S. officials say Rice told Frazer to stay in the region for as
long as she thinks her presence can be useful to defuse the Kenyan
crisis.
The post-election violence was sparked after Odinga and his
supporters accused Kibaki of rigging the Dec. 27 vote to ensure his
victory.
After holding talks with AU chairman, Kibaki flew to the western
town of Eldoret where he visited one of the worst hit areas in the
violence that followed his re-election and warned the perpetrators
that they will face the full force of the law.
Kibaki said the government will not shirk from its
responsibility of protecting people and their properties. He warned
those engaged in criminal activities under the guise of election
being disaffected with the results of the recent general elections
that they would be arrested and prosecuted.
"There is a government in place in this country which has the
responsibility to the people of Kenya for their security. Let no
one therefore delude themselves that they can get away with crimes,
" he said.
Kibaki said his government had put in place appropriate security
arrangement to ensure the reopening of schools was not disrupted in
the affected areas and asked parents to take their children back to
school when they reopen on Monday.
Some 500 people are feared to have been killed, and over 250,
000 displaced, by post-election violence in Kenya, previously seen
as a beacon of stability in east Africa.
(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2008)
