Negotiators pore over draft for PM's post

Nairobi: Negotiators for Kenya's rival political parties consulted their bosses on Saturday and pored over a draft for a new prime minister's post to resolve a post-election crisis that has killed more than 1,000 people.

"The draft Bill is being considered in smoke-filled rooms throughout the country," said government negotiator Mutula Kilonzo. "We should reach a deal by Wednesday latest."

Exhausted by the nearly two-month post-election crisis, most of Kenya's 36 million people now want a quick political settlement between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga so the country can start returning to normal.

What began as a dispute over the vote count from the December 27 election quickly descended into violent protests and ethnic fighting that were the east African nation's darkest moments since independence from Britain in 1963.

The unrest made more than 300,000 people homeless, damaged one of Africa's brightest economies, and dented Kenya's reputation as a stable hub for trade and tourism.

"Both the government and the opposition know all too well that a more brutal and vicious fight is likely if the peace deal being brokered by Dr Kofi Annan's team fails," the Daily Nation said.

Kibaki and Odinga's teams have agreed in principle that they will create a new prime minister's post for the opposition, which accuses the government of stealing the vote by fraud.