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| Annan leads Kenyan crisis talks | Annan leads Kenyan crisis talks |
| (about 2 hours 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. | 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, flanked by President Mwai Kibaki and ODM party leader Raila Odinga, urged the two men to do "whatever possible" to restore calm. |
| Mr Annan said short-term political issues could be solved in four weeks, but full talks could take a year. | |
| 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 the city 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 href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7210000/newsid_7216000?redirect=7216002.stm&news=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&bbram=1&asb=1" onClick="javascript:newsi.utils.av.launch({el:this});return false;">Annan speech class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7215225.stm">In pictures: Kenya violence class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7214843.stm">At-a-glance: Flashpoints class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7216147.stm">MP mourners tear-gassed | |
| At least one person died in the Rift Valley town of Naivasha. | |
| Army helicopters fired tear gas and what they said were rubber bullets at a mob of ethnic Kikuyus attacking Luo refugees trying to flee the town. | |
| 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 | See where main ethnic groups are distributed in Kenya |
| 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. |
| 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". |
| Mr Odinga has launched street protests against Mr Kibaki's victory in the polls. Both sides claim the voting was rigged, and international observers have listed several irregularities. | |
| "I seek to be president of all Kenyans. Their deaths and suffering horrifies me," he said. | |
| Mr Annan and the two leaders drank tea together after the talks"I will leave no stone unturned, nor fail to travel that extra mile to ensure that His Excellency Kofi Annan's mediation mission between the PNU [Kibaki's Party of National Unity] and the ODM succeeds. And I emphasise PNU and ODM - not PNU 'government'." | |
| 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. |
| 'Foul hand' | 'Foul hand' |
| Mr Were is the first leading politician to have died amid violence that has left at least 800 people dead. | 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 the MP 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | Mr Odinga pointed the finger at the government. "We suspect a foul hand of our adversaries in this," he said. |
| Outside Mr Were's Nairobi home, tear gas was fired at mourners and supporters who reportedly taunted police. | |
| Resentment | |
| Some analysts fear a cycle of ethnically-driven revenge and reprisal attacks has taken on a momentum of its own, says the BBC's Adam Mynott in Nairobi. | |
| The initial violence that broke out after the 27 December poll was characterised by mob attacks largely targeting Kibaki's Kikuyu ethnic group. | |
| ODM protesters, often armed with machetes, were met with heavy police responses, including live gunfire. | |
| In recent days, Kikuyu reprisal attacks have become increasingly common. Ethnic divisions over land, wealth and power have dogged Kenyan politics since independence in 1963. | |
| There is widespread resentment over the economic power some Kikuyus hold. Mr Kibaki has maintained that Mr Odinga should fight the claimed poll rigging in the courts and offered to form a government of national unity. | |
| Mr Odinga has refused to recognise Mr Kibaki as president and called for a re-run of the poll and international mediation. | |
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