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Pressure mounts to end crisis
Daily Nation
Story by LUCAS BARASA and DAVE OPIYO
28. Feb. 2008
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete Wednesday expressed hope that
Kenya’s rival leaders will reach an agreement to end the current
political crisis in the country.
Mr Kikwete, who is in the country in his capacity as the African
Union chairman, said his mission was progressing well and that the
hard-line positions taken by some of the negotiators were normal.
His statement came as 20 diplomatic missions in Kenya, including
those of Britain, Germany and Japan called for a speedy resolution
to the crisis.
“Having been involved in a number of negotiations, some people
usually make work difficult, but these are the challenges that we
must overcome,” Mr Kikwete told journalists at Grand Regency Hotel
Wednesday evening after a meeting with chief negotiator Kofi
Annan. Mr Kikwete said Kenyans deserved an agreement out of the
political impasse for peace and stability.
As a result, he said, the AU will continue being involved in the
talks between PNU and ODM until “we get to an agreement.”
He added: “I want to assure Kenyans that an agreement will be
reached. Tomorrow we will be on it (continue with negotiations).
Shuttle diplomacy will continue.”
Mr Kikwete said he was in the country to follow up on talks which
were initiated by the AU. He said he was happy with the progress
made so far including on ending violence, provision of
humanitarian assistance and finding a political solution.
He said the negotiators did well to agree not to re-count the
disputed presidential votes or re-tallying as the outcome could
have still been rejected and return the country to a circle of
violence.
The President who met US President George Bush during the latter’s
visit to Tanzania last week was also happy that PNU and ODM had
decided to look at modalities of working together.
Although the two parties had differed, he said, the AU had engaged
them to reach a common position.
“Hopefully we will be able to bridge the gaps and look at the way
forward,” he said.
Speaking to the Nation’s Tanzanian sister publication The Citizen
shortly before leaving for Nairobi Wednesday, Dar State house’s
director of communications Salvatory Rweyemamu said President
Kikwete had been invited by Mr Annan to rescue the mediation.
Elsewhere Wednesday, at least 20 diplomatic missions to Kenya
called for a speedy resolution to the talks led by former UN
secretary-general Kofi Annan.
In a statement, the missions raised concern with Mr Annan’s
revelations on Tuesday that the negotiating teams had made “almost
no progress towards reaching an agreement on governance, despite
the fact that they had an entire weekend to consult on their
positions”. They emphasised that both President Kibaki and ODM
leader Raila Odinga had the responsibility to personally ensure
that the talks reached a successful conclusion.
Mr Annan’s decision to engage them directly, they said, offered
them an opportunity to use their leadership to bring the talks to
an end.
“However, we reiterate the position of many in the international
community that attempts to undermine or obstruct such an agreement
will not be viewed lightly.”
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