Kenya's Rival Politicians Sign Agreement

Kenya's rival politicians signed a power-sharing agreement Thursday and shook hands after weeks of bitter negotiations on how to end the country's deadly postelection crisis.

President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga both claim to have won the country's Dec. 27 presidential election, but local and international observers have said the results were manipulated, making it unclear who actually won.

"We do have a deal," former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters, saying the agreement creates the prime minister's post that the opposition has been demanding. "Thus our work on the government structure for Kenya has successfully been completed today."

Kibaki and Odinga, both in blue suits, looked stoic as they signed the deal, side-by-side on live television.

The dispute, triggered by disagreement over who won the Dec. 27 presidential election, set off street violence that killed more than 1,000 people and eviscerated the East African country's economy.

Kibaki and Odinga both claim to have won the election. Local and international observers have said the results were manipulated, making it unclear who won.

Annan had suspended negotiations between the president and opposition parties on Tuesday, saying the month of talks were "turning around in circles."

On Wednesday, however, the two sides offered some concessions. Odinga's supporters called off planned protests under pressure from Annan, and Kibaki offered his first public commitment to creating the prime minister's post that his rivals have been demanding, leading the parties to finally commit to a power-sharing deal.

In a statement issued late Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the parties "to take the necessary steps without delay to reach a solution to the ongoing crisis."

"It is critical that the two sides maintain the positive momentum," he said. "It is also critical that the two leaders exercise their responsibility to the people of Kenya, who continue to suffer amid this volatile situation."

Ban also expressed gratitude to Annan and the panel "for the continuing and tireless facilitation efforts."

Post-election violence has largely subsided in recent weeks - the latest outburst occurred some 150 miles west of Nairobi on Sunday, when a group of youths from Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe attempted to mount a road block. Police fatally shot one youth; the others fled.

Kenyans were closely following the negotiations. In downtown Nairobi on Thursday, people were gathering anywhere they could find a television - in hotels, outside electronics shops and in their homes.