Washington (ANTARA News) – The United States reiterated on Monday its call for leaders of Kenyan political parties to avoid violent conflicts by having more talks to find a political solution to their stalemate. T
The exchanges between Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga are “not enough and not a sustained communication to find a final political resolution to the crisis,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
The spokesman made the remarks after Kibaki and Odinga failed to make progress in talks solving the crisis that broke out over contested Dec. 27 presidential elections.
Some 600 people have been killed in the ethnic and political unrest sparked by the announcement of Mwai Kibaki`s re-election as president on Dec. 27. For now, neither side of the feuding leaders has shown any willingness to compromise.
On Monday, Kenya`s government rejected a mediation mission by former UN chief Kofi Annan to seek an end to political unrest that has left more than 700 people dead.
“If Kofi Annan is coming, he is not coming at our invitation,” Roads and Public Works Minister John Michuki, a hardline member of President Mwai Kibaki`s new cabinet, told reporters.
“We won the elections so we do not see the point for anyone coming to mediate power-sharing,” he added.
Annan was due to arrive in Nairobi on Tuesday.
Previous international mediation efforts have so far failed to bring Kibaki to the negotiating table with opposition leader Raila Odinga, who says the December 27 election was rigged to rob him of the presidency.
“We expect all people to work hard to find a solution. Pending this, no party should create facts on the ground or engage in acts that complicate the search for a negotiated solution,” the former UN chief said in a statement.
Foreign observers have said that the elections fell short of international standards but no foreign power has come out strongly against Kibaki, who took the oath an hour after the results were announced.
The 76-year-old Kibaki was due to inaugurate Kenya`s 10th parliament on Tuesday.
Neither his Party of National Unity (PNU) nor Odinga`s opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) managed to secure a majority, prompting a fight between both sides to woo smaller parties ahead of the chamber`s re-opening, Xinhua reported.(*)