Annan suspends Kenyan talks
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - February 26, 2008 Annan said he will now meet with President Mwai Kibaki and
opposition leader Raila Odinga to try to spur progress.
"I hope people will understand this is a move intended to speed
up action," Annan said in announcing that he was calling off the
talks.
The negotiations have failed to resolve the dispute Kibaki and
Odinga, who says the Dec. 27 presidential election was a sham.
Kibaki was declared the winner but international and local monitors
say the results were manipulated, making it unclear who would have
won.
Kenya was once a beacon of stability in a tumultuous region but
the contentious vote sparked widespread fighting as both sides
claimed victory. Violence has largely subsided in recent weeks, but
attacks that left more 1,000 dead and forced 600,000 from their
homes have left the country on edge and worried about the potential
for more unrest.
Kibaki was declared the winner of the presidential vote, giving
him a second five-year term, after Odinga's lead in polls
evaporated overnight.
