The parties of Kenya's feuding leaders have agreed an initial joint roadmap to end unrest that has claimed nearly 1,000 lives since last month's disputed presidential elections, former UN chief Kofi Annan said.
‘The Kenyan dialogue and reconciliation has started – we are off to a good start,’ Mr Annan said after the two sides produced their first joint agreement since the December 27 elections set off a month of bloodletting.
The two sides have agreed to an agenda covering both short-term and long-term issues.
The agreement between representatives of President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga came as 10 people, including a policeman, were killed in fresh clashes in western Kenya and dozens of houses were burned.
Mr Annan, who has been in Kenya for more than a week, said the first priority of the four-point agenda was ‘immediate action to stop the violence and restore fundamental rights and liberties.’
Both sides would then address the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the unrest.
Next they would resolve the political crisis, which began after Mr Odinga acccused Mr Kibaki of having rigged the election rob him of the presidency in the widely-contested polls.
Finally, they would address long-term issues such as unemployment, poverty and land reforms.
Annan gave a deadline of seven to 15 days from the start of the dialogue on January 28 to resolve the first three points.
But the document gave little detail about how the political crisis would be addressed, saying only that ‘its resolution may require adjustments to the current constitutional, legal and institutional frameworks.’
The opposition, behind Mr Odinga, cautiously welcomed the agreement. 'It is an agreement about the issues they are going to discuss,' an Orange Democratic Movement spokesperson said.
'Given the very wide differences betweeen the sides, this is a very important breakthrough,' he said. 'But it is not an agreement that will end the crisis.'
The current UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, added his weight to diplomatic efforts on a visit to Nairobi today, calling for an end to the cycle of violence.
