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Annan Sees Small Gains in Peace
Talks in Kenya
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
February 9, 2008
NAIROBI, Kenya - Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary
general who is brokering peace talks in Kenya, said Friday that no
deal toward a durable political solution had been reached, but
that progress was steadily being made.
Mr. Annan has spent the past week trying to nudge Kenya’s
government and top opposition leaders toward a compromise that
could end the turmoil and violence that exploded in December after
a disputed presidential election. More than 1,000 people have been
killed, and Kenya’s economy and reputation for stability have
taken a beating.
“We have agreed that what is needed is a political solution,” Mr.
Annan said. “We are actively discussing the terms of that solution.”
He added, “I hope next week we’ll have firm details.”
Kenyans had been hoping for more. On Friday, rumors raced through
Nairobi, the capital, that a breakthrough had been reached and
that the two sides would come together in a government of national
unity. People huddled around television sets and fine-tuned the
antennas of their radios, eager for news.
Kenya plunged into chaos in late December after the country’s
electoral commission declared that the incumbent president, Mwai
Kibaki, had narrowly beaten the top opposition leader, Raila
Odinga. Many election observers have said there was widespread
evidence of vote rigging. Some observers contended that the
government had interfered with the vote-tallying process to give
Mr. Kibaki the edge.
A person close to the political negotiations, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak
publicly, said Friday evening that the two sides were close to a
deal. The opposition has agreed to recognize Mr. Kibaki as the
president and drop its demand for a new election, the person said,
and the president’s negotiators have reciprocated by talking of a
“broad-based government.”
Many Kenyans have said that a meaningful political settlement is
the only way to end fighting between opposition supporters and
those who back the government. A power-sharing agreement has been
one of the possible solutions floated in recent days, and Western
officials, including American diplomats, have tried to throw their
weight behind this.
Though Mr. Annan said Friday that talk of a coalition government
was “premature,” he emphasized that “there is ground for optimism”
and that “we have narrowed down the issues.”
The election controversy has stirred up deep-seated grievances
over political, economic and land issues, pitting opposition
supporters against members of the president’s ethnic group and
groups perceived as supporting the government. Many people in
Kenya tend to vote along ethnic lines, and much of the
postelection bloodshed seems to have been ethnically driven,
though many participants insist that their motives are political.
Western governments have been increasingly alarmed about the
unrest in Kenya, which until December was celebrated as one of the
most stable and promising countries in Africa. The American
Embassy in Kenya recently sent letters to 10 politicians and
businessmen in the government and the opposition, warning them
that they would be barred from the United States if the embassy
determined that they had instigated or taken part in violence.
The Canadian and British governments have said they are
considering similar measures.
The pressure may be working. Mr. Odinga said Thursday that he was
willing to back off his initial demand that Mr. Kibaki step down.
Ngari Gituku, a spokesman for Mr. Kibaki’s political party, said
this could be a welcome step forward.
“The president doesn’t have a problem with a government of
national unity, but the modalities of sharing responsibilities
have to be carefully worked out,” Mr. Gituku said. “That’s going
to take some time."
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