(Friday 4 January 2008 - 10:24): The on-again-off-again trip of President Kufuor to Kenya may go ahead after all
Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Party suggested that mediation efforts be led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, but, after consultation with African leaders and US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, accepted Ghana's president as chief-mediator. Apart from the two, former Sierra Leone's president Tijan Kabbah, will be part of the team.
Kufuor's Kenyan Trip "Abandoned"
...Raila accuses Kibaki of rejecting mediation(Friday 4 January 2008 - 08:00GMT): Proposed joint mediation by the African Union and the Commonwealth between Kenya's violently opposed political factions was dropped yesterday
African Union chairman, President John Kufuor, who had had been proposed as a mediator by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, together with Sierra Leone's former president Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, was no longer expected in Kenya.
"President Kufuor is no longer coming," Commonwealth spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi said, adding that the Ghanaian president could still travel to Nairobi at a later stage. He had been expected to join Kabbah in Nairobi to lead mediation efforts between President Kibaki and Opposition leader Odinga. Kabbah, who was already in the Kenyan capital heading the Commonwealth's election observation mission, left yesterday, spelling the doom of the AU-Commonwealth mediation. Kibaki and his aides gave the mediation proposal a less than warm welcome, arguing that they remained open to dialogue but stressing that Kenya was not at war and needed no mediators. Kibaki's camp also took umbrage at the fact that the mediators appeared to be chosen by London, whose relations with the former colony have recently been frosty.Raila accuses Kibaki of rejecting mediation
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader, Mr Raila Odinga, has accused President Kibaki of rejecting international mediators who have offered to help resolve the impasse over the presidential vote outcome. Raila told international journalists that his team had identified former United Nations Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Ghanaian President, Mr John Kufour, who is also the African Union (AU) chairman, for the mediation but the Government was dragging its feet.(Friday 4 January 2008 - 10:24): The on-again-off-again trip of President Kufuor to Kenya may go ahead after all
Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Party suggested that mediation efforts be led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, but, after consultation with African leaders and US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, accepted Ghana's president as chief-mediator. Apart from the two, former Sierra Leone's president Tijan Kabbah, will be part of the team.
Kufuor's Kenyan Trip "Abandoned"
...Raila accuses Kibaki of rejecting mediation(Friday 4 January 2008 - 08:00GMT): Proposed joint mediation by the African Union and the Commonwealth between Kenya's violently opposed political factions was dropped yesterday
African Union chairman, President John Kufuor, who had had been proposed as a mediator by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, together with Sierra Leone's former president Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, was no longer expected in Kenya.
"President Kufuor is no longer coming," Commonwealth spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi said, adding that the Ghanaian president could still travel to Nairobi at a later stage. He had been expected to join Kabbah in Nairobi to lead mediation efforts between President Kibaki and Opposition leader Odinga. Kabbah, who was already in the Kenyan capital heading the Commonwealth's election observation mission, left yesterday, spelling the doom of the AU-Commonwealth mediation. Kibaki and his aides gave the mediation proposal a less than warm welcome, arguing that they remained open to dialogue but stressing that Kenya was not at war and needed no mediators. Kibaki's camp also took umbrage at the fact that the mediators appeared to be chosen by London, whose relations with the former colony have recently been frosty.
