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| Annan leads Kenyan crisis talks | Annan leads Kenyan crisis talks |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Former UN chief Kofi Annan has opened talks with Kenya's rival president and opposition leader, to try to end weeks of violence linked to disputed polls. | |
| Mr Annan, flanked by President Mwai Kibaki and ODM party leader Raila Odinga, urged the two men to do "whatever possible" to restore calm. | |
| Mr Annan will present the leaders with a "route-map" for talks, which correspondents say could last weeks. | |
| The talks came as the death of an opposition MP sparked fresh violence. | The talks came as the death of an opposition MP sparked fresh violence. |
| At least seven people were killed on Tuesday in the capital, Nairobi, after Mugabe Were, from Mr Odinga's ODM party, apparently died in violence triggered by last month's disputed elections. There is only one Kenya - we all have multiple identities but I hope you see yourselves as Kenyans first Kofi AnnanFormer UN Secretary General | |
| Towns in the Rift Valley also witnessed outbreaks of inter-ethnic fighting. | |
| Army helicopters fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a mob of ethnic Kikuyus attacking Luo refugees trying to flee the town of Naivasha. | Army helicopters fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a mob of ethnic Kikuyus attacking Luo refugees trying to flee the town of Naivasha. |
| Members of President Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe have been fighting with Luos and Kalenjins who backed Mr Odinga in December's poll. | |
| See where main ethnic groups are distributed in Kenya | |
| Four-week target | Four-week target |
| Opening the talks, Mr Annan said: "There is only one Kenya. We all have multiple identities but I hope you see yourselves as Kenyans first." | Opening the talks, Mr Annan said: "There is only one Kenya. We all have multiple identities but I hope you see yourselves as Kenyans first." |
| 'People are killing each other'Kenya's deep riftsPress rails at politicians He warned that the crisis was having a "profound and negative impact" on the country and urged the two leaders to take the talks seriously or risk losing aid. | 'People are killing each other'Kenya's deep riftsPress rails at politicians He warned that the crisis was having a "profound and negative impact" on the country and urged the two leaders to take the talks seriously or risk losing aid. |
| He said he believed that short-term political issues could be resolved within four weeks, although more in-depth talks could take as long as a year. | He said he believed that short-term political issues could be resolved within four weeks, although more in-depth talks could take as long as a year. |
| The talks began 90 minutes late, after an argument over seating arrangements. | The talks began 90 minutes late, after an argument over seating arrangements. |
| Speaking after Mr Annan, Mr Odinga stressed that the resolution of the "deeply flawed" results of the presidential elections needed "most urgent attention". | Speaking after Mr Annan, Mr Odinga stressed that the resolution of the "deeply flawed" results of the presidential elections needed "most urgent attention". |
| "While our appeal for peace is uncompromising and unconditional, it will have effective meaning if we pledge today that everything will be done to speedily address this specific dispute," he said. | "While our appeal for peace is uncompromising and unconditional, it will have effective meaning if we pledge today that everything will be done to speedily address this specific dispute," he said. |
| President Kibaki said he strongly condemned incidents of violence, and would "implement stern measures" against "those who disrupt the peace". | President Kibaki said he strongly condemned incidents of violence, and would "implement stern measures" against "those who disrupt the peace". |
| He pledged his support to the "process of national dialogue", pledged to provide more police stations and a fund to help victims of the violence. | He pledged his support to the "process of national dialogue", pledged to provide more police stations and a fund to help victims of the violence. |
| Both Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga said there was a need to resolve problems dating back to independence - such as corruption and ethnic tensions. | |
| 'Foul hand' | |
| Mr Were is the first leading politician to have died amid violence that has left at least 800 people dead. | |
| HAVE YOUR SAY Kofi Annan has a lot to achieve, as large swathes of the country are beyond the control of security forces. Kibaki and Raila owe Kenyans an answerBen, NairobiSend us your commentsTwo gunmen shot Mr Were as he drove up to the gate of his house in the capital just after midnight, Kenya police spokesman Eric Kiraithe was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying. | |
| He said the police were treating the incident as a murder, but not ruling out anything, including political motives. | |
| Mr Were, who represented Nairobi's Embakasai district, won a seat in the 27 December legislative election, which was held at the same time as the presidential vote. | |
| Earlier, Mr Kibaki condemned what he described as the "heinous" killing, but urged Kenyans not to jump to conclusions about who had carried it out. | |
| Mr Odinga pointed the finger at the government. "We suspect a foul hand of our adversaries in this," he said. | |
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