By Katie Nguyen and Joseph Sudah
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's foreign minister said on Sundaythe solution to a post-election crisis lay with Kenyans and anyoutside attempt to force through a deal would be a mistake.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due in Nairobion Monday to support mediation efforts led by former U.N. chiefKofi Annan.
"We encourage our friends to support us and not to make anymistake of putting a gun to anybody's head and saying 'either''or' because that cannot work," Moses Wetangula told reporters.
"Even if we get visitors to help us in any way possible,the answer to the problem in Kenya lies with Kenyansthemselves."
Annan is trying to end a dispute over President MwaiKibaki's re-election that erupted into bloodshed, killing 1,000people and leaving 300,000 homeless.
The crisis affecting an ally in the West's fight to counteral Qaeda has dented Kenya's democratic credentials, driventourists away and disrupted supplies of food and fuel tocountries in the region.
Kibaki's team has resisted what it views as outsideattempts to interfere in the affairs of a country that gainedindependence from Britain in 1963.
"We have many examples where hurried, rushed agreements ...have collapsed as soon as they are signed, before the ink hasdried," Wetangula said.
On a tour of Africa, U.S. President George W. Bush said hedid not want to dictate how to bring an end to Kenya'spolitical violence, but wanted only to help push along Annan'smediation.
On Saturday, Bush threw his weight behind a power-sharingdeal to end a stand-off over which man won the presidentialelection on December 27.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga says he was robbed ofvictory by his former ally Kibaki. Kibaki maintains he wonfairly.
A survey in the Sunday Nation said 61.3 percent of Kenyansfavour a "grand coalition", an idea advocated by Annan. Ofthose, 31.3 percent said it would resolve the political crisisbecause power would be shared equally.
Of the 38.7 percent against a grand coalition, 23.3 percentsaid it would not work because both parties were power-hungry.A further 20.2 percent said the differences between Kibaki andOdinga would make it impossible for them to work together.
U.S. officials have threatened to sanction any individualsseeking to obstruct peace moves. Earlier this month, Washingtonthreatened to bar entry to the United States to eight unnamedpoliticians and business leaders accused of stoking violence.
Britain's envoy to Kenya, Adam Wood, was publiclyadmonished by Wetangula for saying the government did notreflect the will of the Kenyan people.
(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria and Barry Moodyin Dar es Salaam)
