Hopes for Kenya as leaders meet

Kenya’s president and his main opposition leader finally met today for the first time since their dispute over elections sparked nationwide violence that has left hundreds dead.

Former UN chief Kofi Annan succeeded where everyone else had failed in managing to bring President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga together.

Afterwards the two rivals walked out of the presidential offices in Nairobi side by side, shook hands, smiled at each other and promised to work for peace.

“Today we have taken the first few steps in resolving the electoral dispute and conflict,” Mr Odinga said. “I pledge to all Kenyans that my team and I will spare no effort to resolve this crisis.”

Then Mr Kibaki promised, “I will personally lead our country in promoting unity, tolerance, peace and harmony among Kenyans.”

Mr Kibaki made a point of saying he had been duly sworn in as president, an indication that he did not consider his position negotiable.

Previously Mr Kibaki had insisted on direct talks with Mr Odinga, while Mr Odinga had refused to meet without a mediator present.

Mr Annan said the meeting and commitment to talk was “a very encouraging development,” and added: “I want to join my brothers in appealing for calm.” He noted that some violence was continuing, innocent people were being attacked, and that there had been “excessive use of force by the police.”

Mr Annan won another concession yesterday, persuading Mr Odinga to call off protests planned for today in defiance of a government ban. Scores of Mr Odinga’s supporters have been gunned down by riot police in earlier demonstrations.

International allies, agreeing that last month’s presidential elections were suspect, have been urging Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga to negotiate a power-sharing agreement that might create a new position of prime minister for Mr Odinga.

The Pan-African Parliament published a report from its election monitors in Kenya today saying the process did not meet democratic standards and concluding “an election rerun ... would be the most pragmatic and ideal solution.”

The government says 685 people have been killed in riots and ethnic fighting since the vote. Some 255,000 people have been forced their homes by the violence. While the spark was politics, much of the violence also has been ethnic, pitting other groups against Mr Kibaki’s Kikuyu people, long dominant in politics and the economy in Kenya.

Meanwhile the opposition party was today accused of organising some of the worst violence in the wave of killings that have swept the county.

Monitoring group Human Rights Watch said it has evidence that leaders “actively fomented,” organised and directed ethnic attacks in Kenya’s western Rift Valley.

It said more attacks are being planned on members of President Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe.

The group said interviews with numerous members of the Kalenjin people native to the area showed that “opposition party officials and local elders planned and organised ethnic-based violence in the Rift Valley.”

It said they “arranged frequent meetings following the election to organise, direct and facilitate the violence unleashed by gangs of local youth.”

The organisation said the same sources confirmed plans were being made to attack camps of displaced Kikuyu. It called for police to protect displaced people.

“Opposition leaders are right to challenge Kenya’s rigged presidential poll, but they can’t use it as an excuse for targeting ethnic groups,” said a spokeswoman.