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Top diplomat pushes Kenya rivals to agree
Africa's top diplomat pushed Kenya's feuding parties to reach a speedy deal on Friday after the government agreed in principle to create a prime minister's post to help end a deadly post-election crisis.
- Reuters
- Published: 01:05 February 23, 2008
Nairobi: Africa's top diplomat pushed Kenya's feuding parties to reach a speedy deal on Friday after the government agreed in principle to create a prime minister's post to help end a deadly post-election crisis.
"The weekend will be crucial. We hope that next week we'll have something which can be agreed," said Jean Ping the newly elected chairman of the African Union Commission.
The opposition has demanded a powerful role as executive premier for leader Raila Odinga, who accuses President Mwai Kibaki of rigging the December 27 poll.
Kibaki's team says he won fairly and accuses the opposition of instigating riots and ethnic violence that killed 1,000 people, displaced 300,000 and wrecked Kenya's image as a stable business, tourism and transport hub.
The government agreed on Thursday to set up a new post of prime minister. But both sides have yet to thrash out the most contentious issue of how much power it will have.
Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement has withdrawn an earlier call for Kibaki to resign, but is threatening to resume street protests if its demands are not met.
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