Negotiations to form Kenyan government stall

KENYA: TALKS TO end Kenya's post-election crisis were suspended yesterday as they teetered on the brink of failure after Kofi Annan, the chief mediator, vented his frustration at the lack of progress. Other insiders have attributed the deadlock to government obstruction.

Negotiations have stalled over the sharing of political power and the creation of a new prime minister's post, which would most likely be filled by Raila Odinga, the opposition leader.

His party had already threatened to restart street protests tomorrow if no deal were struck by today, raising the prospect of further violence in a once-stable country where more than 1,000 people have been killed since the disputed December poll.

Western diplomats and one person close to the talks blamed the impasse on the intransigence of President Mwai Kibaki and his allies, who are accused of rigging December's flawed presidential election.

"This foot-dragging has got to stop and it's mainly [ because of] the government," said the person close to the talks. "We've brought the opposition as far as they can go. Any further and they lose credibility." Mr Annan, the former United Nations secretary-general, announced that the talks had been suspended. On Monday night he had expressed rare public frustration at the stalemate and met Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga separately to push for compromise.

Yesterday he said: "When [ the negotiating teams] met this morning I expected rapid progress and a change of mood. We have hardly made any progress."

In a statement from Washington, released before the suspension of talks was announced, Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, said: "I am disappointed by the failure of leadership necessary to resolve all the remaining issues. There can be no excuse for further delay."

The statement continued: "I want to emphasise that the future of our relationship with both sides and their legitimacy hinges on their co-operation to achieve this political solution . . . We will draw our own conclusions about who is responsible for lack of progress and take necessary steps."

One western diplomat stressed Mr Kibaki's role in the deadlock. He said: "In the early days most observers thought he was surrounded by hardliners and wasn't getting the message. But as time has worn on it's become clear that he understands and a lot of this is driven by him."

Salim Lone, spokesman for the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, said: "We've always been afraid that the whole plan of the government is to drag this thing out until passions have calmed to a level they can control. But this is a flawed strategy because Kenyans are not about to allow a stolen election to stand." Several government spokesmen and officials contacted for comment were unavailable.

Mr Kibaki has insisted he was elected legitimately and said any political settlement must be consistent with Kenya's constitution, which limits the scope for creating a powerful prime ministership.

Another western diplomat said that embassy officials in Nairobi were in discussions on a "plan B" should the talks fail. It is likely to include visa bans on political leaders and the freezing of their overseas assets, as well as the suspension of some aid to Kenya.

Mr Annan said he would bypass negotiators and meet the two leaders directly to try to resolve the situation. The International Crisis Group, a think-tank, warned in a report last week that armed groups on both sides were mobilising in anticipation of further conflict.

© 2008 Financial Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times