Kenya crisis talks resume
NAIROBI (Reuters) - East African foreign ministers arrivedin Kenya on Wednesday for a meeting the opposition hasthreatened to demonstrate against, while the rival sideshammered away at talks to end the post-election crisis.
The opposition has threatened more street protests if thegovernment holds Thursday's planned meeting of theseven-nation, regional bloc IGAD, whose rotating chairmanshipis now held by President Mwai Kibaki.
Kenya's government is banking on goodwill in Africandiplomatic circles -- earned from years as a continentalpeacemaker -- to win support for its view that the oppositionshould challenge the vote in court, not in the streets.
IGAD issued a communique last week that backed thatposition, while supporting the talks. The opposition arguesthat Kenya's institutions are too flawed or biased to do thejob.
Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, mediating between theopposing sides about a disputed election, has chided theopposition for threatening mass action while talks were underway.
For a second day, he pushed the two sides to focus on theelection dispute. The opposition says Kibaki stole the vote anddoes not recognise him as the victor, while the government sayshe was legally elected and the opposition should make itchallenge in court.
The bloodshed ensuing from the December 27 election hasseriously harmed Kenya's image as a stable and prosperouscountry in a turbulent part of Africa.
On Wednesday, the Central Bank said Kenya's economic growthwas unlikely to reach its forecast of 8 percent because ofdamage to the $1-billion (500 million pound) -a-year tourismsector and others.
It also said first-quarter inflation would be higher.
The Kenya Tourist Board said arrivals for the first quarterwould be 27,000 visitors, less than a tenth of its pre-electionprediction of 315,000.
More than 1,000 people have been killed -- mostly in ethnicclashes and some by police during protests -- and about 300,000displaced in one of Kenya's darkest moments since itsindependence from Britain 44 years ago.
The violence has laid bare divisions over land, wealth andpower that date from colonial rule and have since been stokedby politicians.
'WE WILL MARCH'
Despite pledges by both sides to avoid provocativestatements while Annan's talks were in progress, oppositionleader Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) againused its strongest bargaining chip -- a threat of streetprotests.
"If the government goes ahead and holds the IGAD meeting,we will protest peacefully. We will march, carry placards, showour messages," an opposition official said.
The government has banned protests and most previous oneshave ended in violence, looting or rioting.
Echoing a complaint it made when Kibaki attended an AfricanUnion summit as head of state last week, the ODM said the IGADmeeting would legitimise his position "through the back door".
Its attempts to get into the AU meeting failed, despitewhat diplomats say was heavyweight backing by South Africa.
The ODM has insisted on external mediation, saying thepresident has too much influence over the courts and statemachinery.
The government views that as an insult to Kenya'ssovereignty and points to the fact that Kibaki himself went tocourt in 1997 when he lost what he said was a rigged election.
(For special coverage from Reuters on Kenya's crisis see:http://africa.reuters.com/elections/kenya/)
(Additional reporting by Duncan Miriri, HelenNyambura-Mwaura, George Obulutsa and Wangui Kanina in Nairobi;Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Andrew Dobbie)