By Xinhua
Nairobi : Mediators trying to resolve Kenya’s political deadlock adjourned talks Friday night without clinching a political settlement on the post of prime minister which is one of the options for a political settlement.
Chief mediator Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general, said that while some progress had been made during Friday’s discussions on governance structure, the parties felt there were still some issues on which they need to consult their principals.
“I have asked them to consult over the weekend and return on Monday prepared to conclude an agreement,” the former UN chief said in a statement released Friday night.
He reminded the negotiators of the urgency of the talks and the high expectations of the people of Kenya, the East African region and the world.
Annan urged both President Mwai Kibaki and opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga to give their negotiators clear instructions so that talks can move swiftly to conclusion when they resume Monday.
“Kenyans have suffered greatly over the past eight weeks and they deserve to see clear movement towards peace and stability,” he said.
Negotiators for the Kenyan government and opposition remained tight-lipped as they tried to hammer out an agreement on how much power to invest in the proposed post of prime minister.
The opposition wanted the prime minister to be the head of the government and wield considerable power over the executive branch.
But government negotiators said they saw the post as non-executive with what were termed some responsibilities. A technical team was working on what constitutional and legal changes would be needed to create the post.
The post of premier is likely to be held by opposition leader Raila Odinga, whose party demands that the post include executive powers.
Nerly 1,000 people were killed and over 300,000 displaced in the violence that erupted following the December presidential elections results, which according to the ODM was rigged.